Cvisioo  X> 5 4-2.2- 

.VJ8H7 


Section 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016 


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WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


ALSO 

Hn  tbe  Zenana  Ibomes 
of  Unfcian  jprinccs 

AND 

Iberoes  anfc  Iberoines 
of  Zion 


%/CU  SEU\^V 


BEING  THE  PERSONAL  OBSERVATIONS  OF  A MEDICAL 
MISSIONARY  IN  INDIA 

By7 

S.  ARMSTRONG-HOPKINS,  M.D. 

FORMERLY  PHYSICIAN  IN  CHARGE  TO  THE  WOMAN'S  HOSPITAL,  DISPENSARY, 
AND  TRAINING  SCHOOL  FOR  NURSES,  OF  HYDERABAD,  SINDH, 

UNDER  ENGLISH  GOVERNMENT  APPOINTMENT 


NEW  YORK  : EATON  & MAINS 
CINCINNATI  : CURTS  & JENNINGS 


Copyright  by 
EATON  & MAINS, 
1898. 


DEDICATED  TO 

TCcv.  MtlUam  XconarD  Brmstrong,  /IR.2>. 

A tribute  pure  of  filial  love 
Unto  my  honored  sire  ; 

Who  taught  my  trembling  feet  to  climb, 

My  spirit  to  aspire; 

Who  bade  me  reach  a helping  hand 
To  all  whom  I might  raise 

From  darksome  paths  of  sin  and  vice, 

To  tread  in  wisdom's  ways; 

Who  bade  me  speak  the  truth,  nor  fear 
What  mortal  man  might  say  ; 

With  soul  transparent  all,  and  pure, 

To  humbly  watch  and  pray. 


PREFACE 


DEAR  FRIENDS,  I know  I have  clone  a very 
unfashionable  thing-  in  harrowing  up  your 
feelings  by  the  recital  of  some  heartrending  facts. 
Facts,  indeed,  they  are,  for  each  particular  case 
which  I have  cited  is  a real  case.  In  every  instance 
I have  had  some  particular  patient  in  mind,  and 
have  given  you  the  exact  details  and  history  of  that 
particular  patient ; and  yet  each  of  these  particular 
patients  is  but  a sample  of  many  similar  cases  such 
as  I treated  again  and  again  during  my  dispensary 
life.  I know  that  returned  missionaries  love  to 
cite  instances  of  natives  coming  from  distant  vil- 
lages to  the  mission  inquiring  the  way  of  salvation. 
They  love  to  describe  revival  efforts  in  country 
towns,  where,  perhaps,  the  whole  village  has  been 
brought  to  the  foot  of  the  cross.  All  this  can  be 
done.  All  this  is  true.  The  cause  of  God  is  making 
wonderful  strides  in  that  strange,  dark  land.  I,  too, 
could  tell  of  similar  cases  of  conversions  from  dark- 
est heathendom ; even  of  Hindu  priests  who  have 
left  all  and  chosen  affliction  with  the  people  of  God 
rather  than  to  continue  the  worship  of  idols;  but, 
dear  friends,  I have  chosen  to  tell  you  these  more 
unpleasant  facts.  I have  done  it  deliberately  and 
“with  malice  aforethought.”  At  every  opportu- 

7 


8 


PREFACE 


nity  I desire  to  make  known  these  facts  to  the 
people  of  my  own  country.  Why?  Because  I 
believe  in  them ; I believe  in  the  chivalry  of  my 
own  countrymen.  Because  I believe  in  my  coun- 
trywomen and  in  the  children  of  my  native  land. 
Because  I am  convinced  that  the  religion  of  Jesus 
Christ,  as  professed  and  lived  by  the  people  of  this 
blessed  country,  is  not  a farce ; is  not  a mere  gar- 
ment intended  for  Sunday  wear,  which  is  put  off 
and  on  at  discretion.  I believe  that  you  who  pro- 
fess to  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  have  taken 
his  name  upon  yourselves,  do  partake  of  his  nature 
who  left  his  Father’s  throne  and  his  Father’s  house 
and  came  to  earth — the  great  Medical  Missionary — 
to  help,  and  to  heal,  and  to  save  his  people.  When 
I was  in  India,  and  from  day  to  day  witnessed  such 
horrible  sights,  and  heard  from  the  pale,  trembling 
lips  of  wee  sufferers  heartrending  stories  such  as 
I have  here  depicted,  I resolved  that,  if  God  spared 
my  life  and  permitted  me  again  to  visit  my  own 
native  land,  I would  raise  the  purdah  of  these 
zenana  homes ; I would  acquaint  the  people  of  this 
country  with  the  real  condition  of  the  women  and 
children  of  that  dark  continent.  For  I am  sure 
that  you  need  but  for  one  short  hour  to  gaze  upon 
the  wretchedness,  to  look  down,  as  I have  looked, 
into  the  depths  of  these  dark  places  where  women 
and  children, in  utter  helpnessness, crouch  in  pain  and 
woe  such  as  beggar  description — that  you  need  only 
to  see  with  another’s  eyes — in  order  to  stir  your  Chris- 
tian hearts  to  do  something  to  relieve ; something 


PREFACE 


9 


to  save.  I believed,  and  I do  believe,  that  for  you 
to  know  is  to  do.  That  you  who  have  felt  the  thrill 
which  comes  from  the  heart  of  the  All  Father  in 
the  secret  place  of  prayer,  who  have  reached  up  and 
taken  hold  of  the  omnipotent  hand  of  God  in  your 
secret  closets,  need  but  to  know  the  facts  in  order 
to  run  with  swift  feet  to  deliver,  in  order  to  reach 
out  glad,  helping  hands  to  lift  up,  in  order  to  be 
willing  to  sacrifice  somewhat  of  your  luxuries, 
somewhat  of  your  comforts,  somewhat,  perhaps,  of 
those  things  which  you  call  the  necessities  of  life, 
in  order  to  do  your  part  toward  sending  the  Gospel 
message  to  those  people  who  sit  in  darkness  and 
see  no  light ; remembering  that  inasmuch  as  you 
do  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these,  you  do  it  unto 
him. 

Do  you  remind  me  that  I have  already  confessed 
that  medicine  and  surgery  and  all  that  the  English 
government  can  accomplish  by  establishing  great 
hospitals  throughout  India  are  of  comparatively  lit- 
tle avail,  and  cannot  fully  meet  the  needs  of  these 
people,  because  the  tortures  arising  from  mental 
and  spiritual  conditions  are  so  much  greater  than 
any  physical  suffering?  That  their  customs  and 
barbarous  practices  are  so  deeply  rooted  that  nothing 
can  overthrow  them?  True;  but,  dear  friends,  I am 
glad  to  add  that  there  is  one  remedy — one  remedy — 
and  only  one.  It  is  the  blessed  Gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  it  is  sufficient.  Send  it  to  them.  Send 
out  your  missionaries  with  God’s  word.  Let  them 
go  to  these  suffering  women  and  children,  and  tell 


10 


PREFACE 


the  story  of  the  love  of  God  and  of  the  love  of 
Christ  for  them.  Their  hearts  are  aching  and 
bleeding  and  famishing  for  love.  In  their  lives 
they  have  never  known  it ; never  felt  it.  The)’ 
have  no  hope  of  anything  better  beyond  the  grave. 
Send  this  glad,  beautiful  message;  send  it  quickly. 
They  will  embrace  it ; they  will  receive  it ; they 
will  forsake  all  for  it.  And  when  once  they  do  ac- 
cept this  blessed  Gospel  message  all  these  shackles 
of  superstition,  heathen  beliefs,  prejudices,  and 
barbarous  practices  will  fall  off,  and  they  will  arise 
in  all  the  emancipated  freedom  and  liberty  of  glad 
children  of  God.  Nothing  but  this  can  meet  the 
case.  God’s  word  is  a sufficient  remedy.  Won’t 
you  take  it?  Won’t  you  send  it?  Won’t  you  sac- 
rifice something  in  order  to  do  this?  O,  do  it!  In 
the  name  of  God  Almighty,  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  whom  you  love  and  revere,  I 
entreat  you  to  send  the  Gospel  to  these  poor  women 
and  children,  and  to  send  it  quickly! 

SINDH 

The  gloom  that  here  is  found 
Is  like  to  that  of  Hell ; 

While  ghastly  specters  ’round 
The  bravest  spirit  quell. 

O God,  thou  Source  of  light. 

This  darkness  all  dispel; 

Drive  back  the  heathen's  night, 

Till  they  thy  praise  shall  swell. 

Amen. 


CONTENTS 


BOOK  I 

Within  the  Purdah 

The  Native  of  Hindustan — Attributes  and  Characteristics — In- 
correct Statement  in  Parliament  of  Religions — Seeming  Truthful- 
ness— Care  for  Animal  Life  Explained — Government  Hospitals  and 
Equipments — Sindh — Hyderabad — Hospital  Building — Patients — 
Caravan  Journey — Dispensary  Work — Purdah  Garment — Baby 
Patient — Flattening  the  Head — Piercing  the  Ears  and  Nose — 
Mother  Love — Child  Marriage— Unmarried  Girls — Betrothals — 
Bangles — Her  Husband’s  Bank — The  Mother-in-law — “ Tell  Me 
the  Truth  ” — The  Small-cause  Court — The  Daughter-in-law — No 
Real  Child  Life — The  Starving  Wife  of  a Prince — “I  Do  Not 
Wish  to  Get  Well” 17 

BOOK  II 

In  the  Zenana  Homes  of  Indian  Princes 
The  Taj  Mahal — The  Tomb  of  the  Dead  and  the  Tomb  of  the 
Living  Wife— The  Zenana  Woman  and  Her  Purdah  Home — The 
Zenana  Woman — Mr.  Syed  Mohammed,  Aide-de-camp  to  His  Ex- 
cellency Nawab  Khurshed  Jah — Emissaries  from  His  Highness 
Saght  Sing,  the  Maharajah  of  Bhinai  District — From  Bombay  to 
Ajmere — A Curious  Medico-legal  Consultation — A Professional 
Visit  to  the  Harem  of  a Mohammedan  Prince — The  Nawab’s  Eu- 
ropean Palace — His  Excellency  Nawab  Khurshed  Jah — Her  Excel- 


12 


CONTENTS 


lency  the  Begam  Sahib — Another  Strange  Medical  Consultation 
— The  Nawab’s  Six  Palaces — A Diet  of  Costly  Gems — His  Excel- 
lency Devvan  Luchman  Dass,  ex-Prime  Minister  of  Kashmir— The 
Wives  and  Daughter  of  Dewan  Luchman  Dass— Mrs.  Luchman 
Dass,  the  Rich  Hindu  Widow — The  Peer — The  Peer’s  Daughter 
— A Prophecy  and  a Prayer 85 

BOOK  III 

Heroes  and  Heroines  of  Zion 
Who  are  They? — The  Methodist  Missionary  of  the  Parent 
Board — The  Servant  Question — The  Assistant  Missionary — The 
Missionary  Evangelist — Missionaries  of  the  Woman's  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church — The  Mission- 
ary Teacher  of  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society — The 
Zenana  Missionary  of  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society — 
The  Medical  Missionary  of  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary 
Society 179 


CONCLUSION 

By  the  Rev.  George  F.  Hopkins,  A.M. 


A Poem 


. 247 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

Saleni  Armstrong-Hopkins Frontispiece 

The  Punjapole  Asylum  for  Animals 22 

Her  Excellency  the  Countess  of  Dufferin 25 

A Purdah  Carriage,  with  Curtain  Removed 30 

Woman  Patient  in  her  Silk  Costume 35 

Woman  Patient  in  her  Purdah  Garment 35 

Wealthy  Hindu  Bridegroom  and  his  Child-bride 49 

A Little  Daughter-in-law  Scouring  the  Degchas 65 

A Young  Hindu  Prince 73 

A Wealthy  Mohammedan  Nawab,  or  Prince 73 

“ My  Esther,”  Mrs.  Mary  Esther  Isaac  Ilahi  Baksh 77 

Facsimile  of  Legal  Agreement 97 

Her  Highness  Sarupkanwar  Bai 107 

His  Excellency  Nawab  Khurshed  Jah 117 

His  Excellency  Dewan  Luchman  Dass  and  his  Daughter 137 

Mrs.  Molie  Luchman  Dass  in  her  Kashmeri  Costume 141 

Mrs.  Dalie  Luchman  Dass  in  her  Punjabi  Costume 141 

Rare  Trophies 150 

South  India  Conference 178 

Butler  Preparing  Tea 184 

The  Ayah 184 


13 


14 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 


Three  Zenana  Missionaries  with  Servants  and  Two  of  Miss 
Levermore’s  Little  Adopted  Native  Children,  and  Chung, 

Dena’s  Son 184 

Rev.  S.  P.  Jacobs  with  the  Boys  of  One  of  his  Native  Schools.  187 

An  Indian  Mud  Fire-place  with  Degcha 194 

Domingo,  the  Cook 194 

The  New  Missionary  and  her  Moonshee 210 

A Mohammedan  Moonshee 213 

The  Girls’  Boarding  School  of  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Mission- 
ary Society,  Bombay,  India 220 

A Wealthy  High-caste  Zenana  Lady  of  Bombay 227 

A Zenana  Missionary  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and 

her  Assistants  in  Bombay 236 


BOOK  I 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


“And  the  King  shall  answer  and  say  unto  them. 
Verily  I say  unto  you.  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it 
unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my  brethren,  ye  have 
done  it  unto  me.” — Matthew  xxv,  40. 


BOOK  I 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 

THE  native  of  Hindustan — the  Hindu,  the  Mo- 
hammedan, the  Parsee,  the  Eurasian,  but,  per- 
haps, more  particularly  the  Hindu — has  somehow 
acquired  a reputation  throughout  Europe,  and 
doubtless  in  America  as  well,  for  possessing  by 
nature  all  those  attributes  and  characteristics  which 
we  in  this  Christian  land  have  learned  to  regard 
as  emanating  from  the  Spirit  of  God  alone,  and 
which  we  expect  to  find  more  often  and  more  fully 
exemplified  in  the  lives  of  those  who  live  nearest  to 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  who  partake  most  of 
his  nature.  The  Hindu  is  supposed  to  be,  of  all 
creatures  on  earth,  the  most  generous,  the  most 
kind-hearted,  the  most  gentle,  the  most  sympa- 
thetic, and  the  most  unselfish.  After  living  for 
nearly  seven  years  in  India  I must  tell  you  that  the 
reverse  of  this  is  true.  The  great  principle  which 
we,  as  Christians,  were  taught  at  our  mother’s  knee 
holds  true.  Charity,  kindness,  unselfishness, 
thoughtful  consideration  for  others,  love,  and  ten- 
derness, emanate  in  large  measure  from  God,  and 
from  him  only,  and  those  who  live  nearest  to  him  and 
walk  most  closely  in  the  footsteps  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  do  most  fully  exemplify  these  characteristics. 


18 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


It  has  been  said  that  among  the  many  languages 
spoken  by  the  peoples  of  Hindustan  there  is  no  such 
word  as  home,  in  the  sense  in  which  we  understand 
it ; that  among  all  the  languages  spoken  there  is  no 
such  word  as  love,  in  the  sense  in  which  we  know  it. 
I cannot  vouch  for  the  truth  of  this,  as  I am  not  ac- 
quainted with  the  languages  of  India,  but  I do 
know  that  among  all  the  heathen  people  of  that 
country  there  is  no  such  place  as  home,  as  we  un- 
derstand it ; there  is  no  such  sentiment  as  love,  as 
we  feel  it.  And  j’et  it  is  not  difficult  to  understand 
how  the  Hindu  has  gained  the  reputation  of  being 
all  that  we  have  mentioned — kind-hearted,  gentle, 
loving,  etc. 

Those  who  attended  the  Parliament  of  Religions 
at  our  great  Columbian  Exposition  may  have  heard 
some  educated,  proud  Brahman  declare  before  the 
civilized  nations  of  the  world  that  the  Hindu  reli- 
gion is  better  than  the  Christian  religion,  because 
it  inculcates  such  kindness  of  heart  and  gentleness 
of  nature  as  to  render  its  follower  incapable  of 
stretching  forth  his  hand  to  slay  any  living  creature. 
This  same  proud  Brahman,  true  to  his  training  in 
deceit  and  misrepresentation,  did  not  further  ex- 
plain why  the  Hindu  refuses  to  slay  even  the  creep- 
ing thing  which  crosses  his  pathway  or  the  deadly 
serpent  which  imperils  his  life.  At  the  first  glance 
his  statement  has  a seeming  truthfulness.  There 
is  a trite  saying  to  the  effect  that  a half  truth,  or  a 
lie  which  contains  a partial  truth,  is  the  worst  kind 
of  a lie.  It  is  true  that  a Hindu  will  not,  under 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


19 


any  circumstance,  put  any  living  thing  to  death. 
If  you  lived  in  India,  and  a venomous  serpent, 
whose  sting  is  death  in  twenty  minutes — and  with- 
out remedy — were  to  cross  your  threshold,  you 
might  call  in  vain  upon  your  Hindu  servant  to 
slay  that  serpent.  He  would  fall  at  your  feet  and 
declare  his  willingness  to  serve  you  to  the  utmost 
of  his  ability,  but  would  beg  you  to  forgive  him  for 
refusing  to  kill  the  serpent  which  threatens  your 
life. 

There  are  three  explanations  of  the  foregoing 
fact,  the  first  of  which  seems  almost  to  bear  out  our 
educated  Brahman  in  his  statement  concerning  the 
superiority  of  the  Hindu  as  compared  with  the 
Christian  religion.  In  the  religious  history  of  the 
Hindu,  after  a reign  of  terror  in  which  the  priests 
are  said  to  have  “multiplied  religious  ceremonies 
and  made  ritual  the  soul  of  worship,”  and  when 
“ sacrifice  assumed  still  more  and  more  exaggerated 
forms,  becoming  more  protracted,  more  expen- 
sive, more  bloody — a hecatomb  of  victims  was 
but  a small  offering,”  came  a time  when  “the 
tension  seemed  too  great,  and  the  bow  snapped. 
Buddhism  arose.  We  may  call  this  remarkable 
system  the  product  of  the  age — an  inevitable  re- 
bellion against  intolerable  sacerdotalism ; and  yet 
we  must  not  overlook  the  importance  of  the  very 
distinct  and  lofty  personality  of  Buddha  (Sakya 
Muni)  as  a power  molding  it  into  shape.”  Buddha 
effected  a vast  revolution  in  Indian  thought.  “My 
law,”  said  he,  “ is  a law  of  mercy  for  all.”  In  the 


20 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


forefront  of  his  religious  system  he  put  certain 
great  fundamental  principles  of  morality ; he  made 
religion  consist  in  duty  rather  than  in  rites,  and 
reduced  duty,  for  the  most  part,  to  mercy  and  kind- 
ness toward  all  living  creatures.  This  did  away 
with  all  slaughter  of  animals.  The  people,  having 
grown  weary  of  priestcraft  and  ritualism,  gladly 
embraced  the  teachings  of  this  great  reformer. 
This  religious  system  was,  in  fact,  a rebound  or  re- 
action from  the  excessive  cruelties  which  had  pre- 
ceded it. 

The  second  explanation  is  found  in  the  fact  that 
the  Hindu  worships  a large  number  of  animals, 
and  would  not  naturally  be  disposed  to  slay  the 
object  of  his  worship.  It  is  a common  thing  to  see 
a Hindu  doing  poojah  (worship)  to  the  ants  by  the 
wayside,  and  bringing  flour  or  boiled  rice  with 
which  to  feed  them.  They  are  his  gods.  He  also 
worships  the  serpent,  the  monkey,  the  bull,  and 
many  other  animals. 

The  third  explanation  may  be  traced  as  follows : 
The  Hindu  religion  leads  its  follower  to  believe 
in  the  transmigration  of  souls;  therefore  a Hin- 
du will  not  kill  the  ant  which  crosses  his  path  in 
the  street,  or  the  deadly  serpent,  or  the  venomous 
scorpion,  or  the  rabid  dog  which  has  torn  the  limbs 
of  his  own  child,  not  because  of  kind-heartedness 
on  the  part  of  this  same  Hindu,  but  because  by  so 
doing  he  fears  he  may  slay  his  deceased  mother-in- 
law,  or  great  aunt,  or  second  cousin,  or  some  other 
near  and  dear  relative  whose  spirit  is  at  this  time 


The  Punjapole  Asylum  for  Animals 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


23 


inhabiting  the  body  of  this  serpent,  scorpion,  or 
rabid  dog;  and  -for  this  great  crime  he  may,  in 
some  future  state  of  existence,  be  doomed  to  occupy 
the  body  of  this  same  creature  which  he  has  wickedly 
put  to  death. 

One  of  the  practical  outgrowths  of  this  religious 
belief  may  be  seen  in  the  city  of  Bombay,  in  the 
establishment  of  an  asylum  or  place  of  refuge 
where  all  diseased,  maimed,  decrepit,  aged,  or 
otherwise  dangerous  animals  may  be  confined. 
Just  as  the  English  government  provides  places  of 
refuge  for  unfortunate  mortals  afflicted  with  lep- 
rosy, cholera,  smallpox,  and  insanity,  so  have  the 
high-caste  Brahmans  of  Bombay  established  such 
an  asylum  or  hospital  for  animals.  However, 
one  can  hardly  speak  of  it  correctly  as  either 
an  asylum  or  a hospital,  because  there  is  no  effort 
made  to  restore  these  inmates  to  health,  to  prolong 
their  lives,  or  to  promote  their  comfort.  It  is 
merely  a place  of  banishment  where  offensive  or 
harmful  domestic  animals  are  kept  until  they  die,  in 
order  that  no  Brahman  may  be  compelled  in  self- 
protection to  put  any  of  these  creatures  to  death, 
and  so  bring  a curse  upon  his  own  soul.  This  same 
Brahman  will  beat  his  domestic  animals  most  cru- 
elly starve  and  torture  them  in  many  ways,  thus 
exhibiting  his  lack  of  kindness.  Indeed,  you  need 
only  to  acquaint  yourself  with  the  inner  home-life 
of  the  Hindu,  you  need  only  to  pass  in  behind  the 
purdah  of  his  zenana  home  and  behold  his  conduct 
toward  the  members  of  his  own  household,  in  order 


24 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


to  know  for  yourself  that  my  first  proposition  is 
true,  and  that  the  Hindu  is  of  all  people  the  most 
cowardly  and  the  most  cruel ; for  a cruel  man  is 
always  a coward,  and  a coward  is  always  cruel.  In 
order  that  you  may  know  the  Hindu  personally, 
become  acquainted  with  the  members  of  his  family, 
and  understand  the  principles  which  govern  his 
life,  I shall  invite  you  to  accompany  me  to  the 
English  government  hospital  of  Hyderabad,  Sindh. 

You  know  about  the  splendid  work  that  has  been 
done  for  India  by  the  English  government  through 
the  efforts  of  that  beautiful  woman,  the  Countess  of 
Dufferin,  in  establishing  government  hospitals  in 
all  the  great  cities  of  that  empire.  Beautiful  hos- 
pitals they  are;  thoroughly  equipped  with  all 
modern  improvements,  conveniences,  instruments, 
and  apparatus  such  as  you  find  in  the  best  English 
hospitals  of  to-day,  having  an  efficient  staff  of 
officers — servants,  nurses,  compounder  or  druggist, 
clerk,  interpreter,  house  surgeon — and  at  the  head 
of  all,  the  English  or  American  lady  physician 
in  chai’ge.  It  was  to  such  a position  as  this  in  the 
Woman’s  Hospital,  Dispensary,  and  Training  School 
for  Nurses,  of  Hyderabad,  Sindh,  that  I was  called  in 
January,  1893. 

Before  proceeding  further  allow  me  to  state  that 
most  of  the  fashions,  heathen  customs,  prejudices, 
and  barbarous  practices  which  I shall  here  describe 
are  peculiar  to  the  district  of  Sindh,  and  would  not 
hold  true  if  applied  to  the  people  of  Bombay,  Calcutta, 
Madras,  or  perhaps  to  any  other  people  of  India. 


Her  Excellency  the  Countess  of  Dufferin 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


27 


Sindh  is  a province  in  the  northwestern  part  of 
British  India,  having  an  area  of  5 6,632  square 
miles  and,  in  1891,  a population  of  2,900,000. 

Hyderabad  is  the  historical  capital  of  Sindh  and 
chief  city  of  that  province.  It  stands  three  and  a 
half  miles  east  of  the  left  bank  of  the  Indus  River. 
Its  population  in  1891  was  58,048,  of  whom  23,000 
were  Mohammedans,  the  remainder  being,  for  the 
most  part,  Hindus ; unlike  the  great  native  city  of 
Hyderabad,  Deccan,  which  is  purely  Mohammedan, 
and  a walled  city. 

Our  hospital  building  is  a fine  brick  structure  of 
but  one  story,  surrounded  by  a very  deep  veranda, 
which  is  shut  in  from  outside  gaze  by  broad  pil- 
lars, with  close  lattice  work  intervening,  and  over 
all  the  Indian  chick — -a  sort  of  curtain  made  from 
split  bamboo  or  reed  grass.  To  this  hospital  and 
dispensary  come  patients  representing  all  classes 
and  castes,  rich  and  poor,  Hindu,  Mohammedan, 
and  Eurasian.  Not  only  do  they  come  from  Hy- 
derabad city,  but  also  from  the  country  villages 
round  about,  ten,  twenty,  thirty,  forty,  fifty  miles 
distant.  Some  of  the  poorer  classes  from  these 
country  villages  come  walking.  I have  often  seen 
a little  frail  woman,  weak  and  ill,  who  had  walked 
a distance  of  forty  miles  from  her  country  village 
to  the  hospital — not  alone ; one  never  goes  alone 
through  the  jungles  of  India.  It  would  not  be  safe 
to  do  so  on  account  of  the  wild  beasts  which  prowl 
about  and  the  many  venomous  and  deadly  serpents 
which  infest  the  plains. 


28 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


It  generally  happens  in  a country  village  that 
some  peer  or  wealthy  native — one  of  the  aristocracy 
of  the  place — has  a son  who  is  ill.  Perhaps  he 
would  scarcely  undertake  such  a journey  for  the 
sake  of  a wife  or  a daughter,  but  his  son,  whose  life 
is  far  more  valuable  than  the  life  of  any  woman 
could  be,  is  ill.  There  are  no  hospitals  in  the 
country  villages,  and  no  English  physicians,  or  even 
properly  educated  native  doctors.  He  determines, 
therefore,  to  make  a trip  to  the  government  hospital 
at  Hyderabad,  and  forthwith  proceeds  to  gather 
together  all  the  sick  people  in  his  village  until  a 
large  company  has  arranged  to  make  the  journey. 
Those  who  are  most  ill,  sons,  wives,  and  daughters 
of  the  wealthier  members  of  the  community,  make 
the  journey  on  camels,  while  the  poorer  people, 
men,  women,  and  children,  and  also,  perhaps,  a 
large  number  of  strong  men,  even  though  of  the 
wealthier  class,  and  high  caste,  will  travel  on  foot. 
It  is  a great  sight  to  see  such  a caravan  cn  route 
from  some  distant  village  to  Hyderabad  city.  The 
camels,  with  their  slow  and  measured  tread,  you 
may  see  in  the  distance,  marching  single  file.  The 
head  camel  is  ridden  by  one  man,  who  holds  one 
end  of  a little  string  not  much  larger  than  the  cord 
with  which  your  groceries  are  bound.  The  further 
end  of  this  string  is  attached  to  the  outer  swell  of  a 
little  wooden  nose  ring,  very  much  the  shape  of  a 
thread  spool  with  a very  thin  stem,  which  passes 
through  the  right  nostril  of  the  great  docile  beast. 
This  nose  ring  and  slender  cotton  cord  serve  the 


A Purdah  Carriage,  with  Curtain  Removed 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


31 


purpose  of  halter,  bridle,  and  all.  A slight  tight- 
enine  of  this  cord  will  indicate  to  the  camel  that 
the  rider  wishes  to  turn,  and  a tap  on  his  great 
neck  will  serve  to  guide  him  in  the  right  direction. 
The  second  camel  has  a similar  nose  ring,  to  which 
is  attached  a similar  cord,  this  cord  being  tied  to 
the  tail  of  the  first  camel ; and  thus  all  the  twenty- 
five  or  fifty  camels  are  tied  together,  noses  and 
tails,  and  all  with  a string  so  slender  that  you  would 
think  a toss  of  the  head  would  break  it.  All  the 
camels  except  the  first  one  described,  which  leads 
the  others,  are  loaded  with  the  women,  children, 
and  sick  people  of  the  company,  while  their  robust 
friends  and  neighbors  follow  after  on  foot.  The 
journey  is  begtm  late  in  the  afternoon,  as  soon  as 
the  heat  of  the  day  begins  to  abate ; and  they  travel 
all  night,  until  the  morning  sun  grows  so  intensely 
hot  as  to  render  further  travel  hazardous  to  their 
lives.  Then,  if  possible,  they  find  a tree  with  broad, 
expanded  branches,  in  the  shade  of  which  they  rest 
until  evening,  when  they  start  on  again.  So  it  is 
that  early,  early  in  the  morning,  often  before  the 
dawn  of  day,  such  a caravan  as  this  arrives  at  our 
hospital  in  Hyderabad.  At  a signal  or  a word  from 
the  man  who  sits  upon  the  first  camel  all  these 
gentle  brutes  kneel  down  in  the  fashion  peculiar  to 
themselves,  slowly  lowering  the  closed  carriages, 
or  baskets,  which  are  loaded  with  human  freight. 
Then  four  men — fathers,  husbands,  or  brothers  of 
the  occupants  of  this  particular  carriage — approach 
the  second  camel,  and  with  two  long  poles  attached 


32 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


to  its  floor  raise  it  (the  carriage)  to  the  level  of  their 
shoulders,  and  thus  carry  it  to  the  great  door  which 
opens  into  the  deep  veranda  of  our  hospital.  Here 
they  leave  it,  just  outside  the  threshold,  and  run 
away  and  hide  themselves,  while  four  of  our  Chris- 
tian nurses  from  the  hospital  go  out  and  carry  the 
precious  burden  inside  of  the  veranda,  closing  the 
door  after  them.  Here  the  carriage  door  is  opened, 
and  the  occupants  are  taken  out  and  allowed  to  rest 
on  the  floor  of  this  great  veranda  until  the  hour  ar- 
rives for  opening  the  dispensary.  When  this  load 
is  properly  settled  the  carriage  is  put  outside  the 
door,  and  other  men  bring  the  next  carriage  in  the 
caravan  of  camels,  and  so  on,  until  all  the  camels 
have  been  unloaded  and  their  occupants  deposited 
on  our  hospital  veranda,  where  they  are  quite  se- 
cluded from  public  gaze,  as  befoi'e  intimated,  by 
the  broad  pillars,  close  lattice  work,  and  bamboo 
chicks.  Of  course  the  hospital  is  a purdah  or 
zenana  hospital,  no  men  being  allowed  inside  its 
gates. 

At  half  past  nine  o’clock  A.  M.  the  physician  in 
charge  arrives  in  her  carriage,  and  then  the  dispen- 
sary work  begins.  Passing  through  a large  folding 
door  in  the  center  of  the  great  front  of  the  hospital, 
we  find  ourselves  in  a large  and  pleasant  consult- 
ing room.  The  ceiling  is  very  lofty,  and  from  its 
center  is  suspended  a huge  punkah , which  swings 
from  side  to  side,  keeping  the  sultry  air  in  motion 
and  rendering  the  room  comfortably  cool.  The 
members  of  the  hospital  staff  have  arranged  them- 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


33 


selves  in  rows  on  either  side  of  the  space  between 
the  door  and  the  doctor’s  table,  and  bow  low  in 
respectful  salaams  as  we  pass;  afterward  standing 
about  in  their  pure  white  sarces,  gracefully  draped 
in  Indian  fashion,  respectfully  awaiting  orders. 
Parina,  the  native  interpreter,  a Christian  woman, 
stands  near  by,  ready  to  interpret  into  English  any 
of  the  many  tongues  which  may  be  spoken  by  the 
various  patients  who  have  gathered  from  all  direc- 
tions. The  side  door,  leading  into  the  outer  hall, 
is  opened,  and  one  patient  at  a time,  each  taking 
her  turn,  passes  into  the  clerk’s  office,  where  her 
namd,  approximate  age,  and  any  particulars  which 
can  be  gleaned  concerning  her  personal  history  and 
illness  are  recorded.  These  people  never  know 
the  date  of  their  birth,  but  they  approximate  their 
age  by  certain  great  epochs.  This  one  says,  “I 
was  so  big,”  indicating  a height  of  two  feet,  “at 
the  time  of  the  mutiny,”  and  so  on.  Having  regis- 
tered, the  patients  are  admitted,  in  twos  and  threes, 
to  the  consulting  room.  I shall  endeavor  to  make 
them  known  to  you,  one  at  a time,  as  they  come 
into  our  presence. 

A tiny  woman,  not  larger  than  a child  of  ten  in 
this  country,  makes  her  way  slowly  from  the  clerk’s 
office.  She  is  shrouded  in  her  long  white  purdah 
garment,  which  consists  of  a cap  about  the  shape 
of  a gentleman’s  smoking  or  skull  cap,  pure  white, 
and  hand  embroidered.  Into  the  lower  edge  of 
this  cap  is  gathered  a full  flounce  of  unbleached 
muslin,  which  falls  to  the  ground,  and  even  trails 


34 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


about  her,  being  as  long  in  front  as  behind.  Thus 
her  entire  person  is  wholly  concealed  from  view. 
If  you  separate  the  thick  folds  near  the  rim  of  the 
cap,  about  where  the  eyes  are  supposed  to  be,  you 
will  find  two  small  holes  in  the  muslin.  They  are 
about  one  inch  long  and  two  thirds  of  an  inch  in 
width,  and  are  veiled  by  a close  net,  something  like 
mosquito  netting,  only  of  coarser  texture.  Through 
these  tiny  openings  the  patient  is  supposed  to  be 
able  to  see  sufficiently  to  avoid  a fall.  Of  course 
one  from  without  cannot  see  the  face  nor  even  the 
eyes  of  the  patient  through  these  small  and  closely- 
screened  openings.  As  she  comes  near  our  inter- 
preter, with  tender  persuasion,  seeks  to  remove 
this  heavy  garment ; but  the  little  patient  is  timid 
and  shrinking,  and  resists  her  overtures.  At 
length,  however,  she  herself  slowly  gathers  the 
heavy  folds  together  and  raises  them  a little  at  a 
time,  until  from  underneath  she  is  able  to  peer 
out  and  look  about.  She  does  this  to  make  sure 
that  there  are  no  boys  or  men  folk  in  the  room. 
Later  on  she  is  persuaded  to  allow  the  nurses  to  re- 
move this  heavy  and  oppressive  garment,  and  when 
this  is  done  she  stands  before  us  in  her  many- 
colored  pure  silk  garments,  which  are  so  gracefully 
adjusted  and  so  artistically  arranged,  in  point  of 
coloring  and  in  every  other  detail,  as  to  render  her 
a beautiful  picture  to  look  upon. 

So  tiny  and  wan  is  she,  so  emaciated  and  sad  of 
face,  that  you  judge  her  to  be  the  patient ; but  your 
mind  is  presently  disabused  of  this  thought,  for  she 


Woman  patient  in  her  silk  costume  of  many  colors  Woman  patient  in  her  long  white  purdah  garment 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


37 


steps  forward  and,  unwrapping  from  the  folds  of 
her  garment  an  infant,  she  lays  it  on  the  table  be- 
fore you.  Its  arms  and  legs  are  tightly  bound 
down,  stiff  and  straight,  by  strong  strips  of  cotton 
cloth.  This  is  the  custom  throughout  the  district 
of  Sindh.  Be  it  a boy  or  a girl,  be  it  Hindu  or 
Mohammedan,  all  are  thus  strapped  during  the  first 
months  of  their  existence ; so  that  the  slight  exer- 
cise, relaxation,  and  rest  which  an  untrammeled 
baby  naturally  gets  from  tossing  its  limbs  about  is 
denied  to  infants  here.  These  strips  of  cloth  are 
tied  so  tightly  about  the  soft,  emaciated  limbs  that 
3tou  can  almost  bury  your  finger  in  the  groove  caused 
by  this  pressure.  But  it  is  not  for  this  condition  we 
are  consulted.  The  child-mother  turns  the  infant 
on  its  side,  and  you  see  that  the  whole  back  of  the 
head  has  been  crushed  until  it  is  quite  flat.  It  is 
swollen,  hot,  inflamed,  and  in  the  center  of  the 
head,  at  the  back,  there  is  a running  sore  about  the 
size  of  a silver  half-dollar.  If  you  do  not  know  the 
cause  of  this  condition,  your  interpreter  will  explain 
that  every  child  born  of  heathen  parents  in  the 
district  of  Sindh,  boy  or  girl,  Hindu  or  Moham- 
medan, is,  immediately  after  birth,  placed  upon  a 
solid  stone  bed.  Its  head  rests  lower  than  its 
trunk,  and  in  order  that  the  child  may  not  slide  off 
headwise  and  be  injured  a little  ledge  is  arranged 
as  a headpiece.  During  the  day,  every  two  or 
three  hours,  some  member  of  the  father-in-law’s 
family,  with  the  strong  palm  of  the  hand,  presses 
the  soft,  mobile  little  head  against  this  hard  stone, 


38 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


until  it  becomes  quite  flat  at  the  back,  the  forehead 
protrudes,  and  above  each  ear  large  protuberances 
appear,  almost  resembling  horns.  This  practice 
goes  on  during  all  the  early  months  of  the  infant’s 
life,  until  the  head  remains  in  this  distorted  shape. 
All  this  for  beauty’s  sake.  These  ignorant  people 
imagine  that  they  know  better  how  to  form  a beau- 
tiful human  head  than  does  God  Almighty.  It  is 
the  fashion  in  that  part  of  India,  and  must  be  fol- 
lowed— even  though  the  practice  result  in  the  death 
of  the  child,  which  is  often  the  case.  It  seemed  to 
me  that  every  child  must  die  as  a result  of  such 
treatment.  The  whole  thing  was  at  first  incredible 
to  me,  and  I asked  my  nurses  to  call  in  the  serv- 
ants, and  the  children  of  the  servants,  and  uncover 
their  heads,  that  I might  examine  them ; men’s 
heads  in  India  being  always  covered  with  their 
pugris , and  the  heads  of  women  and  girls  by  their 
sarccs.  To  my  astonishment,  I found  all  their  heads 
were  perfectly  flat  at  the  back  and  protruding  above 
the  ears  and  in  front,  as  above  described. 

In  the  case  of  this  little  patient,  we  will  give  the 
infant  into  the  hands  of  our  surgical  nurse,  asking 
her  to  syringe  the  wound  with  some  disinfectant 
solution,  place  a little  pillow  of  surgeon’s  cotton 
over  and  around  the  wound,  bandage  the  head 
nicely,  as  she  knows  how  to  do,  and  bring  the 
child  back  to  us.  This  done,  we  restore  the  little 
one  to  its  mother’s  arms,  giving  strict  injunction 
not  again  to  place  it  upon  its  stone  bed,  and  not  in 
any  case  to  remove  the  bandage,  but  to  bring  it 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


39 


back  again  to-morrow  to  have  the  wound  dressed. 
The  following  day,  however,  she  does  not  return, 
nor  the  next,  nor  for  several  weeks.  When,  how- 
ever, she  does  return  we  discover  that  the  band- 
ages have  been  removed,  and  perceive  by  the  con- 
dition of  the  wound  that  the  crushing  process  has 
been  persisted  in,  despite  the  fever  which  it  has 
caused  and  the  evident  debility  of  the  child.  We 
begin  to  upbraid  the  little  woman.  We  tell  her 
that  she  is  no  mother,  that  it  is  a cruel,  unnatural 
thing  for  her  thus  to  torture  her  little  one,  that  she 
has  no  love  for  her  babe.  At  these  words  the  tiny 
mother,  with  a gesture  expressive  of  utter  helpless- 
ness and  a look  of  entreaty,  exclaims:  “O,  Doctor 
Sahiba,  what  can  I do?  It  is  our  custom  ! And  then,” 
she  adds,  in  a still  more  helpless  way,  ‘ ‘ I have 
a cruel  mother-in-law.”  So  it  is  that,  though  the 
child- mother  might  perhaps  spare  her  infant  this 
torture,  there  are  other  members  of  the  family  who 
would  insist  upon  carrying  out  the  custom  of  their 
people.  Of  course  the  little  head  is  dressed  again 
as  before,  and  the  patient  and  mother  sent  away 
with  stronger  orders  than  ever ; but  she  never 
again  returns — not  at  least  for  the  sake  of  this 
child.  Some  months  later  she  does  come  back  to 
consult  us  in  regard  to  an  older  child,  and  when  we 
interrogate  her  concerning  her  baby  she  tells  us  in  a 
sad  way  that  it  is  dead. 

The  practices  above  described,  of  binding  the 
limbs  and  crushing  the  heads  of  infants  born  to 

heathen  parents  residing  in  the  district  or  province 
3 


40 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


of  Sindh,  are,  as  has  already  been  intimated,  in- 
flicted upon  both  male  and  female  children,  but  if 
the  little  one  is  so  unfortunate  as  to  be  born  a girl 
in  this  district,  there  are  many  tortures  which  she 
must  endure  from  which  her  brother  would  be 
exempt. 

Our  next  patient  is  also  an  infant  in  the  arms  of 
her  young  mother.  Upon  examination  we  find  the 
little  limbs  tightly  banded  down  and  the  head 
crushed,  as  in  the  former  instance,  but  in  addition 
to  this  the  wee  ears  have  been  pierced  every  eighth 
of  an  inch  all  around  the  rims,  and  dirty-looking, 
black  woolen  strings  have  been  inserted  in  the 
freshly-wounded  tender  flesh.  The  nose,  also,  both 
right  and  left  nostrils  and  the  center  portion,  has 
been  pierced,  and  the  woolen  strings  have  so  irri- 
tated the  wounds  that  both  the  nose  and  the  ears 
have  become  enormously  swollen,  hot,  and  ulcer- 
ated to  such  an  extent  as  to  render  the  child 
feverish  and  ill.  These  running  sores — shall  I say 
it  to  refined  ears? — are  full  of  maggots,  which  add  a 
fresh  torture  to  the  sufferings  already  too  great.  If 
we  are  new  in  Sindh,  and  have  not  yet  learned  how 
utterly  useless  it  is  to  fight  against  these  iron-clad 
customs,  we  will  probably  follow  our  first  impera- 
tive impulse — clip  the  strings  and  remove  them 
from  the  ears  and  nostrils ; afterward  passing  the 
child  to  the  nurse  with  instructions  to  syringe  with 
disinfectant  solution  and  dress  the  wounds  properly. 
This  done,  we  give  instructions  to  the  mother  to 
allow  the  bandages  to  remain  and  to  bring  back  the 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


41 


child  to  the  dispensary  to-morrow.  The  mother 
does  not  return  with  the  child  for  many  days. 
When,  finally,  she  does  return  she  approaches 
timidly  and  with  apparent  shamefacedness.  She 
does  not  carry  her  infant,  but  her  mother-in-law 
follows  on  behind  with  the  babe  in  her  arms,  while 
the  little  mother  comes  toward  us,  bowing  at  every 
step  until  her  forehead  almost  touches  the  floor. 
This  formality  indicates  that  she  acknowledges  her 
own  great  inferiority,  that  she  feels  herself  to  be 
little  and  mean  and  contemptible — less  than  the 
dust  under  your  feet,  a very  slave ; while  you,  in 
her  own  words,  are  her  ma  bap  (mother  and  father), 
great,  and  high,  and  lifted  up,  with  authority  to 
command  or  crush  her  at  your  pleasure ; neverthe- 
less she  comes  to  you  with  a petition.  As  she 
draws  near  we  will  await  her  further  formality. 

Standing  before  us,  she  takes  the  corner  of  her 
sarcc,  wraps  it  around  her  neck,  and  holds  it  tightly 
with  her  two  hands.  This  to  us,  suggests  hanging, 
and  it  is  a sort  of  mental  hanging,  for  it  means  ex- 
actly the  same  as  the  low  salaam  above  described. 
Standing  now  with  bowed  head,  and  joining  the 
tips  of  index  fingers,  she  begins  to  stroke  the 
bridge  of  her  nose.  This  formality,  also,  has  the 
same  significance  as  the  two  preceding  ones. 
Finally  you  grow  impatient,  and  express  your  will- 
ingness to  hear  her  petition  at  once.  The  mother- 
in-law  now  comes  forward  and  lays  the  infant  on 
the  table  before  you.  The  bandages  have  been 
removed  from  the  head,  black  strings  have  again 


42 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


been  inserted,  and  the  child  is  in  a worse  condition, 
if  possible,  than  on  the  occasion  of  the  first  visit. 
The  little  mother  now  interposes  and  begs  that  you 
do  not  again  remove  the  strings  from  her  baby’s 
ears,  but  that  you  give  some  lotion  or  ointment 
which  can  be  applied,  and  which  will  cause  the 
wounds  to  heal,  while  the  strings  remain  in  their 
places ; adding,  with  all  the  emphasis  which  she  is 
capable  of  expressing,  that,  if  you  remove  them,  she 
cannot  again  bring  the  child  to  the  dispensary,  be- 
cause her  family  will  have  other  strings  inserted 
immediately  upon  her  return.  The  strings,  she 
declares,  must  remain,  because  her  little  girl  is  soon 
to  be  married,  and  then  ornaments  will  be  inserted 
in  place  of  the  strings.  The  native  Indian  has  a 
conviction  that  the  English  ointment  is  an  infallible 
cure-all.  No  matter  what  the  disease,  no  matter 
how  terrible  the  condition,  if  an  Indian  can  procure 
a little  English  ointment,  a perfect  cure  is  certain. 
In  this  case,  if  we  are  wise — if  we  have  been  in  this 
part  of  India  for  long,  and  understand  how  per- 
fectly impossible  it  is  to  overthrow  the  customs  of 
these  people  and  how  futile  all  efforts  to  prevent 
the  carrying  out  of  them — we  will  accede  to  the 
petition  of  the  little  mother.  We  will  not  again 
cut  the  strings  from  the  baby’s  ears  and  nostrils, 
but  we  will  have  the  wounds  syringed  with  a disin- 
fectant solution  and  give  her  some  lotion  or 
powder  or  ointment,  to  apply  from  time  to  time, 
which  will  facilitate  the  healing  of  the  wounds, 
even  while  the  strings  remain.  By  these  means 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


43 


we  shall  be  able  at  least  to  relieve  the  sufferings  of 
our  little  patient,  though  we  cannot  wholly  remove 
them ; whereas,  if  we  were  to  cut  the  strings,  the 
mother  would  never  again  return  to  the  dispensary 
with  her  child,  and  it  would  be  allowed  to  suffer  on 
without  relief. 

If  this  little  girl  baby  is  so  unfortunate,  as  we 
would  consider  her — so  fortunate,  as  the  natives  of 
India  would  consider — as  to  have  an  elder  brother, 
she  will  be  left  upon  her  stone  bed  from  morning 
until  evening,  and  from  evening  until  morning. 
She  will  be  fed  upon  goat’s  milk  if  her  parents  are 
wealthy ; if  poor,  rice,  chapaii,  or  any  food  that  it 
is  convenient  to  give.  If  she  cry,  and  thus  annoy 
the  family,  she  will  be  dosed  with  opium,  while  her 
brother— two,  three,  four,  five,  or  six  years  of  age, 
perhaps  a large  boy  nearly  as  tall  as  his  mother — 
will  sit  astride  his  mother’s  hip  and  receive  from 
her  the  natural  nourishment  which  God  Almighty 
provided  for  the  young  infant.  Whatever  the 
mother  is  doing,  however  laborious  her  task,  she 
can  never  be  rid  of  this  great,  strong  child,  which 
hangs  continually  upon  her  side.  If  she  put  him 
down  for  a moment,  he  will  kick  and  scream, 
tear  her  hair,  scratch  and  bite  her  until  she  is 
obliged  to  take  him  again  upon  her  thigh.  She 
dare  not  strike  him  or  punish  him  in  any  way,  for 
he  is  her  husband’s  son.  If  you  question  her  as  to 
this  strange  partiality  between  her  two  children,  she 
will  reply,  “ O,  the  baby  is  only  a girl,  but  this — 
my  son!  ” 


44 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


You  will  naturally  judge  from  this  that  Indian 
parents  love  their  sons  and  hate  their  daughters. 
I believe  this,  also,  to  be  a mistake.  Where  there 
is  any  love  it  is  felt  just  as  much  for  the  daughter 
as  for  the  son.  I have  seen  this  exemplified  in 
many  cases.  I remember  one  instance  in  which 
the  little  daughter  had  fallen  from  an  upstairs  ve- 
randa and  received  fatal  injuries.  The  mother  told 
us  about  it  with  many  tears,  and  my  interpreter 
said  to  her:  “ What  does  it  matter?  She  was  only 
a girl!”  The  mother  replied,  “Yes,  she  was  only 
a girl;  but  then  what  about  my  mother-heart?” 
The  fact  is  that  where  you  find  heathen  people  who 
know  nothing  about  Christ,  nothing  about  the  one 
great  God  whose  name  is  Love,  nothing  about  his 
revealed  truth,  which  teaches  love,  there  is  very 
little  love  to  be  found ; and  this  difference  in  the 
treatment  of  the  daughter  and  son  comes  through 
no  partiality  for  the  son,  on  his  own  account,  but 
from  a purely  business  and  mercenary  principle. 
The  son,  from  the  day  of  his  birth  to  the  day  of 
his  burial  or  burning  (for,  if  he  be  a Mohammedan, 
his  remains  will  be  buried  ; if  a Hindu,  they  will  be 
burned),  is  a source  of  great  honor  and  large  income 
to  his  parents.  Indeed,  among  these  people  the 
birth  of  a son  is  considered  to  be  well-nigh  equiva- 
lent to  receiving  a fortune ; whereas  the  daughter, 
from  the  day  of  her  birth  to  the  day  of  her  burial 
or  burning,  is  not  only  a source  of  tremendous  ex- 
pense— an  expense  which  never  ceases  while  she 
lives — but  she  is  also  a source  of  possible  disgrace 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


45 


to  her  family  and  caste.  If  she  be  not  married 
before  she  arrive  at  the  age  of  twelve,  she  can  never 
marry,  as  no  native  man  will  marry  a girl  over  that 
age,  and  her  parents  and  all  their  family  are  irrep- 
arably disgraced.  Indeed,  nothing  can  happen  to 
a native  family  which  will  bring  them  such  disgrace 
as  this.  The  parents  are  supposed  to  have  failed 
in  their  duty  to  their  child.  A girl  thus  unmarried 
is  in  a worse  condition  than  a widow.  She  is 
stripped  of  her  jewels  and  silken  apparel ; a single 
scant  garment  of  coarse  texture  is  all  that  is  allowed 
to  her,  and  her  beautiful  hair  is  cut.  She  is  not  al- 
lowed to  mingle  with  the  other  members  of  the 
family  during  any  festivity  or  anniversary  occasion. 
If  there  be  rejoicings  in  the  home  at  the  birth  or 
marriage  of  a son,  or  on  account  of  any  other  good 
fortune,  she  may  not  participate  in  it.  She  must 
sit  alone  in  a little  dark  place  nursing  her  miseries, 
and  never  showing  her  face  to  mother,  father, 
brother,  sister,  or  guest.  Even  on  ordinary  occa- 
sions she  may  not  show  her  face  in  the  morning  to 
any  member  of  the  family  until  they  have  each  and 
all  looked  into  other  faces  of  happier  fortune ; for 
she  is  supposed  to  be  cursed  by  the  gods,  and  for 
one  to  behold  her  face  before  seeing  the  faces  of 
others  would,  in  the  opinion  of  natives,  invariably 
bring  bad  luck.  She  does  the  drudgery  of  her 
father’s  household,  and  receives  kicks  and  abuses 
from  any  and  all  of  its  members,  and  often  upon 
the  slightest  provocation.  Should  she  fall  ill,  no 
physician  is  consulted  and  no  effort  made  to  restore 


46 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


her  health  or  to  prolong  her  life.  Her  death  is 
earnestly  hoped  for  not  only  by  her  family  and 
friends,  but  by  herself  also. 

On  one  occasion  a native  zenana  worker  who 
taught  one  of  the  respectable  married  sisters  of  one 
of  these  little  unfortunate  unmarried  girls  begged 
the  father  to  allow  her  to  bring  a physician,  not 
with  any  hope  of  restoring  health,  or  even  pro- 
longing life,  but  simply  with  the  object  of  relieving 
the  intense  suffering  which  this  daughter,  who  was 
far  gone  in  consumption,  was  so  patiently  enduring. 
On  several  occasions  the  zenana  worker  had  begged 
permission  to  do  this,  but  the  father  was  not  willing 
to  pay  any  medical  fees,  and  still  less  willing  to  have 
the  health  of  his  daughter  restored  or  her  life  pro- 
longed. Finally,  however,  she  obtained  permission 
to  bring  a lady  physician,  with  the  understanding 
that  no  fees  should  be  charged  and  no  effort  made 
to  restore  the  health  or  prolong  the  life  of  the 
patient,  but  only  to  relieve  the  pain.  The  native 
zenana  worker  then  explained  the  case  to  me,  and  I 
readily  agreed  to  the  terms,  consenting  to  pay  the 
visit  without  charge  and  with  the  sole  object  of  re- 
lieving the  most  distressing  symptoms.  I can  never 
forget  my  visit.  The  expression  of  utter  hopeless- 
ness, despair,  and  misery  on  this  young  girl’s  face 
beggars  description.  The  memory  of  it  haunted 
me  for  many  days  afterward.  During  a subsequent 
visit,  and  through  my  interpreter,  I carefully  de- 
scribed to  my  little  patient  God’s  great  plan  of  sal- 
vation. I assured  her  that  she  was  immortal — that 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


47 


she  could  never  die.  I said,  “The  part  of  you  that 
thinks,  that  feels,  that  suffers,  that  rejoices,  that 
understands — that  part  must  live  forever,  and  for- 
ever, and  forever.”  I told  her  Christ  would  prepare 
a place  for  her  in  heaven,  and  that  he  would  take 
her  to  himself  if  she  would  only  believe  on  him  and 
give  her  heart  to  him.  She  listened  with  intense 
eagerness,  her  eyes  dilating,  her  face  flushing  and 
then  growing  pale  again.  She  had  been  taught  to 
believe  that  she  had  no  soul,  being  a woman,  and 
that  her  only  hope  would  have  been  in  marriage, 
which  the  gods  had  denied  her.  A married  woman 
may  hope,  by  the  faithful  discharge  of  her  duties 
to  her  husband,  obedience  to  her  mother-in-law, 
etc.,  etc.,  some  time  to  be  born  again  in  the  form  of 
a man,  and  after  that,  perhaps,  she  may  merge  into 
the  great  God,  and  thus  lose  her  individuality  and 
identity ; but  a woman  who  has  been  cursed  of  the 
gods,  and  for  whom  a husband  could  not  be  found, 
has  no  hope  in  this  life  or  in  the  next.  When, 
however,  she  heard  the  true  story  of  the  creation, 
the  fall,  the  redemption  of  the  world  through  the 
death  of  Christ,  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  and 
God’s  great  plan  of  salvation,  she  accepted  it  with 
the  simplicity  of  a young  child,  and,  trusting  in  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  for  her  eternal  salvation,  she  re- 
ceived him  into  her  heart  gladly,  joyfully.  How 
can  I tell  it?  No  words  can  describe  the  wonderful 
change  which  swept  over  her  pale,  sad  face.  If 
she  had  ever  known  joy,  if  there  had  ever  been  a 
ray  of  hope  in  her  heart,  it  had  left  no  trace  upon 


48 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


her  poor,  wan  countenance.  Now,  for  the  first 
time,  her  face  was  lighted  up  with  joy  and  hope 
and  peace ; and  in  her  large  dark  eyes  a wonderful 
love-light  came,  and  remained  until  all  light  was 
gone  and  her  spirit  was  with  God. 

As  soon  as  a female  child  is  born  in  any  house- 
hold the  preparations  for  rejoicing,  which  had  been 
made  in  anticipation  of  a son,  are  put  aside,  and  no 
one  is  allowed  to  partake  of  food  in  that  house  for 
some  time  thereafter,  as  there  is  now  cause  for  sad- 
ness and  not  rejoicing.  The  father  begins  immedi- 
ately to  cast  about  in  his  mind  for  some  one  to 
whom  he  may  betroth  his  new-born  daughter. 
This  is  arranged  as  quickly  as  possible.  He  will 
betroth  her  to  an  infant  boy  if  convenient,  or  to  a 
boy  in  his  childhood,  or  in  his  youth,  or  in  his 
young  manhood ; or  to  a man  in  middle  life,  or 
even  to  an  old  man  with  many  wives.  The  only 
imperatively  necessary  thing  is  that  she  be  be- 
trothed to  some  boy  or  man  in  her  own  caste,  and 
that  without  delay.  Of  course,  in  any  case,  the 
bridegroom  may  die  before  the  wee  girl  is  yet  old 
enough  to  be  married,  and  thus  she  will  be  left  a 
widow.  This,  however,  would  not  be  so  dire  a 
catastrophe  as  for  her  to  remain  unmarried  until 
she  pass  the  age  of  twelve.  In  the  former  case  she 
only  is  disgraced,  and  is  supposed  to  have  incurred 
the  curse  of  the  gods ; whereas  in  the  latter  case  her 
parents  and  all  their  family  are  disgraced,  deeply 
and  irreparably,  among  all  their  caste  people. 

The  betrothal  involves  much  expense  to  the  little 


Wealthy  Hindu  Bridegroom  and  his  Child-Bride 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


51 


girl’s  father.  He  is  expected  to  make  a feast  for 
the  bridegroom’s  family  and  friends.  To  the  future 
bridegroom’s  father,  mother,  brothers,  and  sisters 
he  is  expected  to  give  bakhshish  (gifts).  We  hear  a 
great  tamashi  (noise,  sound  of  rejoicing)  in  the 
street,  and,  rushing  to  the  door,  we  see  a horse,  if 
the  family  are  in  good  circumstances,  otherwise  a 
bullock,  donkey,  or  goat,  adorned  with  wreaths  of 
flowers,  gold  and  silver  trappings,  and  carrying 
upon  his  back  the  bridegroom,  who  is  also  adorned 
with  gold,  silver,  and  flowers  in  the  most  striking 
manner.  If  his  parents  be  wealthy,  he  may  also  be 
adorned  with  jewels  of  many  sorts  and  colors. 
Men  and  boys  crowd  about,  and  there  is  a sound  of 
beating  of  drums,  cymbals,  and  various  musical  in- 
struments of  native  device.  Somewhere  behind  in 
the  crowd  there  is  a bullock  cart,  closely  curtained 
on  all  sides,  and  in  this  purdah-carriage  is  the  baby 
girl  whose  betrothal  is  now  being  celebrated.  Of 
course  it  may  be  that  she  has  arrived  at  the  age  of 
one,  two,  three,  four,  or  five  years,  and  that  her 
parents  have  been  unable  to  arrange  for  this  be- 
trothal earlier ; but  whether  she  be  an  infant  of  a 
few  days  only  or  a little  girl  of  five  or  six  years, 
she  will  be  closely  concealed  in  the  purdah-carriage, 
accompanied  by  her  mother  or  nurse,  or  both,  nei- 
ther of  whom  can  be  seen  by  the  people  who 
throng  the  carriage.  After  this  ceremony  the  wed- 
ding day  must  not  too  long  be  postponed.  “ How 
long?”  do  you  ask?  A few  years  ago  the  English 
government  passed  a law  to  the  effect  that  no  bride 


52 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


should  go  to  the  house  of  her  mother-in-law  before 
she  arrived  at  the  age  of  twelve  years.  I am  a 
witness,  however,  as  is  every  practicing  physician 
in  India,  that  this  law  is  utterly  ignored.  Of 
course  a law  is  useless  unless  it  is  enforced;  but 
who  can  enforce  such  a law  as  this?  Who  knows 
the  age  of  the  little  girl-wife  when  she  goes  from 
her  mother’s  home  to  the  house  of  her  mother-in- 
law?  She  is  a zenana  woman.  No  European,  no 
man,  except  her  nearest  relatives,  has  ever  seen 
her  form  or  face.  No  one  knows  her  age  except 
her  nearest  relatives,  and  they  all  acquiesce  in  the 
practice  of  child-marriage.  Should  the  English 
authorities  suspect  the  true  age  of  this  little  bride 
to  be  less  than  that  required  by  the  law,  and  prose- 
cute the  parents,  the  father  of  the  child  would  take 
his  affidavit  unhesitatingly  to  the  effect  that  she 
has  passed  the  age  of  twelve,  even  though  she  were 
really  only  six,  seven,  or  eight  years  of  age.  Often 
and  often  have  I treated  little  women  patients  of 
five,  six,  seven,  eight,  and  nine  years,  who  were 
at  that  time  living  with  their  husbands,  and  came  to 
our  dispensary  accompanied  by  their  mother-in-law, 
which  is  in  itself  a proof  of  the  fact. 

The  wedding  ceremony  involves  the  father  of 
the  bride  in  many  additional  and  very  heavy  ex- 
penses. He  must  again  give  a dinner  to  the  bride- 
groom’s family  and  friends ; he  must  again  give 
gifts  to  every  member  of  that  household.  He 
must  purchase  for  his  daughter  many  gold  and 
silver  ornaments.  Her  ears  must  have  gold  and 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


53 


silver  rings  all  around,  every  eighth  of  an  inch. 
She  must  wear  necklaces  that  begin  tightly  about 
the  neck,  increasing  in  length  until  they  well-nigh 
cover  her  chest  and  reach  down  to  her  waist.  Her 
fingers  must  have  rings  upon  them,  and  her  toes 
must  have  rings  also.  The  latter  must  be  solid 
silver,  with  blue  enamel  on  the  diamond-shaped 
tops,  in  the  center  of  which  there  is  a little  hook 
holding  a tiny  silver  bell,  which  renders  the  little 
woman  incapable  of  moving  without  starting  the 
jingle  of  silver.  It  is  said  that  this  custom  was 
invented  in  order  that  the  mother-in-law  might 
know  the  exact  whereabouts  of  her  daughter-in- 
law.  Upon  her  ankles  she  wears  heavy  silver 
anklets,  so  heavy  and  angular  in  shape  as  to  soon 
cause  the  slight  ankle  to  become  quite  callous  all 
around.  Through  her  left  nostril  she  wears  a gold 
ring  of  small  size.  In  the  septum  there  is  also  a 
gold  ring,  to  which  is  attached  a long  pendant, 
which  droops  over  the  mouth,  and  requires  to  be 
lifted  whenever  she  eats  or  drinks.  The  wed- 
ding ring  must  be  of  pure  gold,  made  in  the  shape 
of  a bugle,  the  most  slender  part  of  which  passes 
through  the  right  nostril.  It  is  always  very  large, 
often  interfering  with  the  sight  of  the  right  eye. 
If  the  parents  are  poor,  the  wedding  ring  may  be 
hollow ; but  if  they  are  wealthy,  it  must  be  solid,  in 
which  case  it  is  very  heavy.  Indeed,  any  of  them 
are  sufficiently  heavy  to  tear  out  the  nostril,  so  that 
it  is  a common  thing  at  our  dispensary  to  repair  noses 
thus  rent ; although  this  ring  is  usually  supported 


54 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


in  part  by  a braid  of  hair  brought  from  the  back  of 
the  head  down  over  the  forehead  and  along  the 
bridge  of  the  nose.  Her  arms  are  covered  with 
tight  ivory  bangles,  extending  from  the  wrist  close 
down  to  the  hand  and  up  to  the  bend  of  the  elbow. 
At  this  point  a small  space  is  left,  to  allow  flexion 
and  extension  of  the  joint.  Just  above  the  elbow 
the  bangles  begin  again,  extending  to  the  shoulder. 
The  bangles  are  made  to  fit  the  arm  so  tightly  as  to 
badly  callous  the  wrist  and,  what  is  worse,  to  inter- 
fere with  the  circulation  of  the  blood,  so  that  the 
hands  become  swollen,  purple,  and  very  painful, 
while  the  uncovered  space  at  the  elbow  joint  swells 
enormously,  often  forming  abscesses  which  require 
to  be  lanced.  These  abscesses  are  intensely  painful, 
and  yet  the  mother-in-law  will  on  no  consideration 
allow  even  two  or  three  of  the  bangles  to  be  re- 
moved in  order  to  relieve  this  terrible  suffering. 
They  (the  bangles)  are  a sign  of  the  child’s  re- 
spectable married  condition,  and  to  remove  them 
would  be  a disgrace,  indicating  her  widowhood. 
Indeed,  they  can  never  be  removed  during  her  life, 
unless  her  husband  first  die.  Now,  if  you  remem- 
ber that  on  her  wedding  day  she  is  a mere  child,  you 
will  know  that  she  must  grow,  and  is  almost  sure  at 
one  time  or  another  to  take  on  some  additional 
flesh,  and  in  either  case  the  pain  recurs,  abscesses 
forming  again  and  again.  However  large  she  may 
become,  these  bangles,  which  have  cost  her  father 
the  considerable  sum  of  eighty  or  ninety  rupees, 
are  never  exchanged  for  a larger  size.  When  they 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


55 


are  first  placed  upon  her  arms  they  render  her 
almost  helpless  for  a week  or  more ; she  is  unable 
to  feed  herself,  to  dress  her  hair,  or  to  make  her 
own  toilet;  so  that  a friend  must  wait  upon  her 
until  the  tender  flesh  shrinks  away  from  this  firm, 
unyielding’  pressure,  and  she  becomes  accustomed 
to  the  stiffness,  and  is  thus  able  to  resume  her  daily 
duties. 

These,  however,  are  not  the  only  nor  the  greater 
of  the  many  expenses  which  the  father  is  expected 
to  meet  on  the  day  of  his  daughter’s  marriage.  He 
must  pay  into  the  hands  of  his  daughter’s  father- 
in-law  the,  to  him,  great  sum  of  two  thousand 
rupees.  His  income  does  not,  in  all  probability, 
exceed  five  dollars  a month,  and  with  this  he  must 
support  his  family,  which  is  probably  large.  In 
order  to  raise  the  two  thousand  rupees  at  one  time 
he  will  need  to  mortgage  the  ornaments  of  his  wife, 
his  daughters-in-law,  if  he  be  so  fortunate  as  to  have 
any,  and  perhaps  his  brothers  and  other  near  rela- 
tives will  need  to  do  the  same  in  order  to  enable 
him  to  raise  the  required  amount.  To  liquidate 
this  debt  and  to  redeem  the  ornaments  mortgaged 
will  probably  require  the  remainder  of  his  life — un- 
less he  be  so  fortunate  as  to  have  a son  or  two  who 
may  marry  and  thus  get  back  the  two  thousand 
rupees,  together  with  ornaments,  and  secure  a 
daughter-in-law  who  will  serve  as  family  drudge 
and  slave.  Nor  does  the  father’s  expense  cease 
when  he  has  his  daughter  safely  married  and  sent 
to  the  home  of  her  mother-in-law.  If  she  fall  ill  at 


56 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


any  time,  it  becomes  his  duty  and  the  duty  of  his 
wife  to  pay  her  regular  visits  at  stated  intervals, 
and  on  every  such  occasion  his  wife  must  pay  into 
the  hand  of  this  daughter's  mother-in-law  a sum 
of  money  not  less  than  eight  annas.  Should  the 
parents  not  visit  their  daughter  when  ill,  or  should 
they  visit  her  seldom,  they  will  be  considered  by 
their  caste  people  to  have  failed  in  their  parental 
duty,  and  will  be  in  disgrace  as  a result. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  son  is  a source  of  income 
and  honor  to  his  parents  as  long  as  he  lives.  He 
may  be  betrothed  at  any  time  after  his  birth ; and 
this,  as  shown  above,  brings  a feast  and  gifts  to  his 
father’s  family.  Later  on  he  is  married,  which 
means  two  thousand  rupees — a small  fortune — to  his 
father.  Besides  this,  all  the  jewels  with  which  the 
little  wife  is  adorned  may  be  mortgaged  or  sold  by 
her  father-in-law,  as  they  are  all  of  pure  gold  or 
silver.  Moreover,  the  little  daughter-in-law  ac- 
tually serves  in  her  father-in-law’s  house  as  a 
family  drudge  and  the  slave  of  her  mother-in- 
law.  This  is  the  only  hope  of  the  Indian  woman. 
If  she  be  blessed  with  a son,  she  looks  forward 
to  the  time  when  he  will  marry  and  her  labors 
cease,  and  when  she  will  be  respected  and  en- 
vied by  all  the  native  women  because  she  has 
a married  son  and  a daughter-in-law  to  serve 
her.  Moreover,  this  same  son  may  be  married 
several  times,  even  if  his  wives  all  live ; or  if  one 
or  more  of  them  die,  it  affords  him  still  greater  op- 
portunity for  marrying,  and  each  new  wife  will 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


57 


bring  to  bis  father  a small  fortune.  Besides  all 
this,  he  must  of  necessity  follow  the  occupation  of 
his  father,  and  early  in  his  life  he  may  begin  to 
earn  a regular  salary,  which  in  every  case  he  passes 
over  to  his  father,  who  is  the  head  of  the  house  as 
long  as  he  lives.  Thus  a son  in  India  is  a source 
of  increasing  wealth  and  respectability  to  his  par- 
ents, while  the  daughter  is  the  reverse. 

To  return  to  our  dispensary.  We  find  several 
little  women  waiting  to  have  their  ears  repaired ; 
for  not  only  does  the  nose  ring  tear  out  the  nostril, 
but  it  is  a more  common  occurrence  to  have  the  ears 
torn  through.  The  earrings  worn  in  this  part  of 
the  country  by  the  poor  and  middle  classes  are  solid 
silver  rings  of  immense  size,  and  covered  with  great, 
sharp  protuberances.  These  rings  pull  the  upper 
half  of  the  ear  down  over  the  lower  half  until  the 
whole  ear  is  stretched  and  distorted  so  that  you 
would  scarcely  recognize  it.  Thus  the  great  silver 
rings  are  piled  one  upon  another;  being  inserted, 
as  has  already  been  stated,  every  eighth  of  an  inch 
all  the  way  around  the  rim  of  the  ear,  and  standing 
out  from  the  head  two  or  three  inches  like  great 
horns.  Whenever  one  of  these  rings  tears  its  way 
through  the  ear,  so  that  it  drops  to  the  floor,  the 
mother-in-law  will  immediately  pierce  another  hole 
and  put  the  ring  back  in  its  place  ; and  this  she  will 
do  as  long  as  there  is  any  space  left.  When, 
finally,  there  is  no  longer  any  sound  part  through 
which  a hole  can  be  bored  in  the  little  woman’s 

ear,  when  the  entire  rim  of  that  delicate  organ  is 
4 


58 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


slitted  and  slashed  like  the  ragged  edge  of  a frayed 
garment,  then  the  mother-in-law  will  bring  her  to 
the  hospital  to  have  her  ears  repaired.  Not  that 
she  cares  in  the  least  for  the  disfiguration  thus 
caused  or  for  the  deformity;  that  is  a matter  of  no 
consequence.  The  chief  object  of  lading  the  wife 
with  ornaments  and  jewels  is  not  that  she  may  be 
adorned,  that  her  beauty  may  be  enhanced — it  is  a 
business  arrangement.  The  wife  is  the  bank  of 
her  husband.  He  is  distrustful  of  Englishmen  and 
of  English  banks;  he  fears  to  bury  his  gold  in  the 
earth,  lest  its  hiding  place  be  discovered  by  robbers ; 
but  his  wife  is  in  purdah,  kept  in  close  seclusion ; 
no  robber  can  get  at  her  without  great  difficulty. 
He  therefore  invests  every  spare  rupee  in  a solid 
gold  or  silver  ornament  to  be  hung  upon  his  wife’s 
person.  This  can  be  mortgaged  or  sold  at  any 
time,  and  is  just  so  much  cash  to  him.  They  are 
not  careful  that  the  gold  and  silver  ornaments  be 
beautifully  molded  or  carved.  It  is  a common 
thing  to  see  a very  rough  gold  nugget  made  into  a 
necklace,  the  several  parts  of  which  are  beaten 
out  in  the  crudest  manner.  The  natives  of  India 
object  to  anaesthetics,  and  think  it  quite  unneces- 
sary to  administer  anything  for  the,  to  them, 
trifling  operation  of  repairing  such  rents.  It  is  an 
everyday  occurrence  to  have  several  such  patients 
at  our  dispensary,  and  to  see  one  after  another  sit 
down  quietly  and  have  two,  three,  or  more  rents  in 
each  ear  denuded  and  sewed  up,  and  one  or  two 
such  in  the  right  nostril.  During  the  whole  opera- 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


59 


tion,  which  is  really  a very  painful  one,  the  little 
patient  will  never  wince,  nor  cry  out,  nor  make  any 
sign  of  pain.  She  is  so  inured  to  suffering  that  this 
is  easily  borne. 

Here  comes  another  patient  from  the  clerk’s 
office.  She  resembles  the  others  in  size,  but  seems 
to  be  rather  older  than  the  first-mentioned,  though 
still  young.  She  is  very  lame,  and  walks  with 
difficulty.  Her  mother-in-law  precedes  her;  a 
young  native  woman  is  never  permitted  to  leave 
her  husband’s  house  except  she  is  accompanied  by 
her  mother-in-law.  Presently  they  stand  before 
us,  and  the  mother-in-law  begins  to  explain  that 
her  daughter-in-law  is  a very  bad,  ill-tempered, 
naughty  child,  and  that  recently,  in  a fit  of  temper, 
she  threw  herself  from  the  roof  of  the  house  and 
lamed  herself  badly.  We  turn  to  the  little  patient 
for  her  version  of  the  story.  She  repeats  almost 
precisely  the  words  just  spoken  by  her  mother-in- 
law.  She  confesses  herself  to  be  very  ill-tempered 
and  naughty,  and  declares  that  she  injured  herself 
in  leaping  from  the  roof  of  the  house.  After 
making  a careful  examination  of  my  patient  I am 
convinced  that  both  mother-in-law  and  daughter- 
in-law  have  lied ; and  so  I determine,  for  once  in 
their  lives,  to  separate  this  mother-in-law  from  her 
daughter-in-law.  Bidding  the  former  remain 
where  she  is,  I take  the  little  wife  into  my  private 
consulting  room,  and  the  door  is  fastened;  then  I 
bring  a chair  and  persuade  the  little  woman  to  sit 
down  upon  it.  This  she  is  very  loath  to  do,  as  she 


60 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


has  never  been  allowed  to  sit  in  the  presence  of  any 
person  whom  she  respects.  Finally,  however,  she 
takes  the  chair  by  my  side.  I now  assure  her  that 
I am  her  friend.  I tell  her  about  my  happy  home 
in  America ; that  I have  a father  who  loves  me  and 
brothers  who  love  me  and  are  kind  to  me,  but  that 
I heard  of  her ; I knew  her  life  was  unhappy,  that 
her  friends  were  not  gentle  and  kind  to  her  as  mine 
were  to  me,  and  because  of  my  love  for  the  dear 
Lord,  who  came  to  earth  to  suffer  and  to  die  for  her 
and  for  me,  I left  my  home  in  the  far-off  land,  and 
came  across  the  waters,  away  over  to  India,  in  order 
that  I might  somehow  help  her.  I ask  her  if  she 
believes  all  this;  if  she  believes  that  I am  her 
friend  ; but  long  before  I have  reached  this  point  the 
little  woman  is  convulsed  with  sobs.  Indian  wom- 
en, especially  in  Sindh,  seldom  weep  on  account  of 
harsh  words,  unkindness,  or  pain  of  any  sort,  how- 
ever severe.  They  are  inured  to  suffering;  but 
when  you  declare  yourself  to  be  their  friend,  when 
you  speak  to  them  kind,  tender  words,  it  is  not 
difficult  to  find  their  hearts.  And  so,  as  soon  as 
she  is  able  to  speak,  she  confesses  that  she  believes 
me  to  be  her  friend  ; that  she  never  had  a friend 
or  anyone  to  love  her,  and  that  no  one  ever  talked 
to  her  thus  before  in  all  her  life.  In  reply  I tell 
her  I am  her  physician ; that  I wish  to  make 
her  well  and  strong,  but  cannot  do  so  unless  I know 
the  facts  of  her  case.  I tell  her  that  I am  fully 
aware  that  both  she  and  her  mother-in-law  mis- 
represented the  case  to  me  in  the  general  consulting 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


61 


room.  I know  from  the  character  of  her  wounds 
that  she  never  got  them  by  jumping  from  the  roof 
of  a house.  “So  now,”  I say,  “won’t  you  tell  me 
the  truth?  Won’t  you  tell  me  just  how  you  got 
these  wounds  and  bruises?  I shall  not  tell  your 
mother-in-law.  I shall  not  tell  any  of  your  caste 
people,  but  I want  to  know  all  about  it ; the  whole 
truth.”  She  promises  to  tell  me  the  truth,  and 
then  begins  by  saying  that  she  is  a very  naughty 
girl  and  very  ill-tempered.  I stop  her  and  remind 
her  of  her  promise  to  tell  me  the  truth.  She 
assures  me  again  that  she  will  tell  me  the  truth. 
She  fully  believes  this  to  be  true.  She  has  been 
told  all  her  life  that  she  was  the  worst  and  most  ill- 
tempered  creature  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  she 
has  no  doubt  of  its  truth ; and  so  she  begins  again 
with  the  same  confession,  after  which  she  proceeds  to 
say  that  on  one  occasion  a brother-in-law  asked  her 
to  do  something  which  she  felt  herself  really  too 
weak  to  do.  She  was  so  tired,  so  weak,  and  so 
hungry  that  she  did  not  instantly  obey  his  com- 
mand, perhaps  she  even  answered  back,  whereupon 
he  felled  her  to  the  earth.  Another  came  along  and 
kicked  her,  and  still  another  member  of  her  hus- 
band’s family  beat  her  with  a club  until  she  became 
unconscious.  She  does  not  know  what  happened 
after  that,  but  she  imagines  they  thought  they  had 
killed  her,  and  were  frightened  on  account  of  the 
English  government ; at  any  rate,  after  she  came 
to  herself  she  found  they  had  dragged  her  behind 
the  house,  in  the  narrow  space  between  it  and  the 


62 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


great  wall  which  surrounds  it.  When  she  raised 
her  head  and  looked  about  she  saw  her  mother-in- 
law  peeping  around  the  corner.  As  soon  as  she 
was  able  she  dragged  herself  out  where  she  could 
get  a drink  of  water.  All  this  happened  two  weeks 
ago.  Since  then  she  has  been  gradually  improving, 
but  has  not  yet  been  able  to  work  much,  and  be- 
cause of  this  latter  her  mother-in-law,  judging  her 
to  be  so  far  recovered  that  the  doctor  at  the  hospital 
would  believe  her  story  about  leaping  from  the  roof 
of  the  house,  determined  to  bring  her  to  the  dispen- 
sary in  order  that  she  might  be  made  well  enough 
to  work. 

This  is  one  case  only ; many  such  have  I treated 
in  Hyderabad.  Little  frail  creatures  come  into 
the  hospital  all  black  and  blue,  and  maimed  from 
head  to  foot,  from  brutal  kicks  and  club  beatings 
which  they  have  received  at  the  hands  of  mother- 
in-law,  brothers-in-law,  sisters-in-law,  and  other 
members  of  the  husband’s  household;  and  this 
often  upon  the  slightest  provocation.  Do  you 
question  why  the  English  government  permits 
such  outrages?  It  is  plain  enough.  The  English 
government  does  not  and  would  not  permit  it 
if  the  English  government  had  any  power  to  pre- 
vent it. 

Suppose  that  I,  as  an  English  government  physi- 
cian, in  charge  of  this  dispensary,  were  to  prosecute 
the  perpetrators  of  this  outrage.  A day  would  be 
appointed  for  the  hearing.  The  case  must  needs 
be  tried  in  a small-cause  court,  as  all  such  cases 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


63 


come  under  this  head,  and  these  courts  are  all 
presided  over  by  native  judges.  On  the  day  of 
hearing  the  father-in-law,  his  sons,  brothers,  and 
other  relatives,  together  with  perhaps  fifty  or  more 
outside  witnesses  (who  for  two  annas  each  are 
willing  to  swear  to  anything),  all  give  evidence  to 
the  same  effect;  that,  from  such,  or  such,  or  such  a 
distance,  he  saw  this  little  woman  leap  from  the 
roof  of  her  father-in-law’s  house  and  had  personally 
heard  her  cries,  knowing  that  she  must  have  been 
injured  by  the  fall.  They  would  each  and  all 
testify  to  the  perfectly  upright,  honorable,  and  re- 
spectable character  of  the  father-in-law’s  family. 
After  such  overwhelming  evidence  as  this,  all 
coming  from  eyewitnesses  (?),  what  weight  would 
my  evidence  have?  I testify  that  on  a certain 
occasion,  in  my  private  consulting  room,  this 
little  child-wife  gave  a very  different  explanation 
as  to  the  cause  of  her  wounds.  Perhaps  my  in- 
terpreter is  also  present,  and  confirms  my  evi- 
dence. To  overbalance  this,  however,  the  little 
child-wife  herself,  in  her  close  purdah  garment,  is 
brought  into  court,  and  there  takes  her  affidavit 
that  she  leaped  from  the  roof  of  her  father-in-law’s 
house  in  a fit  of  anger,  and  thus  wounded  herself. 
She  will  perhaps  also  testify  that  she  is  very  ill- 
tempered  and  bad,  and  that  her  husband’s  family 
are  all  very  good  and  kind  to  her.  She  dare  not,  for 
her  life,  testify  otherwise.  Of  course  the  judge  will 
dismiss  the  case.  It  may  be  that  away  down  in  his 
heart  he  is  convinced  that  the  little  American  doc- 


64 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


tor  somehow  must  have  gotten  a confession  of  the 
truth  from  this  little  Indian  woman,  but  he  is,  never- 
theless, glad  that  she  has  not  sufficient  evidence  to 
prove  the  facts  in  the  case.  For  he  himself  would 
treat  his  own  daughter-in-law  in  like  manner;  in- 
deed, he  considers  that  the  husband  or  father-in- 
law  has  a perfect  right  to  take  the  life  of  his  wife  or 
daughter-in-law  if  he  feels  so  inclined. 

As  already  intimated,  the  daughter-in-law  is  a 
drudge  and  slave  in  her  husband’s  home.  Early 
in  the  morning,  before  any  other  members  of  the 
family  are  awake,  she  is  up ; and  sitting  in  front  of 
the  door  on  the  ground,  she  grinds  the  wheat  for 
the  day’s  consumption.  The  wheat  is  ground  be- 
tween two  great  stones,  the  upper  one  having  a 
hole  in  its  center,  through  which  the  wheat  falls 
from  the  hand  of  the  grinder.  The  upper  stone 
has  also  a wooden  handle  at  one  side  by  which  it  is 
turned  around  and  around.  This  is  the  same  sort 
of  a mill  as  that  referred  to  in  the  Bible:  “Two 
women  shall  be  grinding  at  the  mill.”  If  there 
are  two  daughters-in-law  in  the  family,  the  two  will 
share  this  labor,  one  sitting  on  either  side  of  the 
mill.  They  are  supposed  to  sing  a grinding  song 
while  engaged  in  this  task,  and  for  the  song  to 
cease  before  the  wheat  is  ground  would  be  sufficient 
offense  to  justify  a blow  from  any  member  of  the 
husband’s  family.  This  is  very  arduous  labor,  and 
the  slight  little  women  sometimes  faint  away  while 
engaged  in  the  task.  Later  in  the  day  the  dcgchas 
(brass  and  copper  cooking  utensils)  must  be  scoured 


A Little  Daughter-in-law  Scouring  the  Degchas 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


67 


with  the  palm  of  the  hand  until  they  shine  like  mir- 
rors. Common  soil  from  the  front  of  the  door  is 
used  for  this  purpose. 

In  this  part  of  India  the  fashion  allows  the 
daughter-in-law,  in  the  early,  early  morning,  be- 
fore anyone  else  is  astir,  to  break  her  fast  with 
any  cold  food,  rice  curry  or  chapati  (pancake,  made 
of  flour  and  water),  which  may  have  been  left  over 
from  the  day  before.  If  there  chance  to  be  no 
such  cold  food  in  the  house,  which  is  often  the 
case,  then  her  fast  must  remain  unbroken  during 
the  long  hours  of  that  hot,  sultry  day.  Though 
she  prepare  all  the  food  for  the  family,  no  particle 
may  pass  her  lips.  She  prepares  the  food  and 
stands  serving  while  the  others  eat,  but  she  has 
nothing  to  satisfy  her  own  hunger  until  late  at 
night,  nine  or  ten  o’clock,  when  all  the  family  have 
eaten,  smoked  the  hnqqa  (native  pipe),  gossiped, 
and  retired  to  rest;  then,  if  there  be  cold  food  left 
in  the  house,  any  which  has  not  been  consumed 
during  the  day,  she  may  take  of  this  to  satisfy  her 
hunger.  Consequently — a natural  result  of  this 
custom — the  mother-in-law  is  often  obliged  to  bring 
her  little  half-starved  daughter-in-law  to  the  dis- 
pensaiy  for  treatment.  She  will  then  stand  be- 
fore you  and  declare  that  the  girl-wife  is  very 
lazy ; that  she  does  not  love  work ; and  that  often 
while  engaged  in  grinding  her  wheat,  or  some  other 
domestic  task,  she  pretends  a faint  and  seems  to 
become  unconscious.  She  assures  you  that  this 
cannot  be  real ; she  is  certain  that  the  child  is  only 


68 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


shirking  work,  but  adds  that,  though  she  beat  her, 
she  will  not  resume  her  task ; and  when,  finally,  she 
returns  to  consciousness  and  goes  back  to  her  work 
she  will  perhaps  faint  again.  She  then  instructs 
you  that  in  case  you  find  any  serious  disease  upon 
the  child  which  is  likely  to  be  fatal  it  is  a matter  of 
no  consequence.  She  does  not  care  to  prolong  her 
life  if  she  is  likely  to  die,  for  she  is  only  a girl,  and 
no  good  on  earth.  But  if  she  live,  she  must  work ; 
so,  if  you  do  not  find  anything  serious  the  matter 
with  her,  she  will  be  glad  to  have  you  give  her 
something  that  will  make  her  strong  to  work. 
During  all  this  harangue  the  daughter-in-law’s  face 
does  not  alter  in  its  expression.  She  has  heard 
such  talk  as  this  all  her  life,  and  she  cannot  be 
more  grieved  than  she  has  ever  been.  The  same 
look  of  settled,  helpless  despondency  remains  on 
her  countenance.  We  examine  the  frail  little  pa- 
tient. Her  body  is  emaciated  almost  to  a skele- 
ton ; her  little  pulse  flutters  and  intermits.  We 
find  no  organic  disease  present,  and  we  know  by 
many  signs  that  she  is  in  a condition  of  chronic  starva- 
tion. We  interrogate  the  mother-in-law  as  to  her 
food — when  she  eats,  what  she  eats,  how  often  she 
takes  food,  and  in  what  quantities.  Unblushingly 
the  mother-in-law  refers  to  the  above  custom, 
which  allows  the  daughter-in-law  to  eat  the  rem- 
nants of  food  which  are  left  over  from  the  family 
meals  during  the  early  morning  hour  and  late  at 
night.  We  tell  her  that  she  is  starving  the  child  to 
death ; and  ask  her  if  she  will  not  provide  at  least 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


69 


one  cup  of  milk  every  day  at  noon,  or  one  egg;  or 
at  least  make  sure  that  the  child  does  get  some- 
thing to  eat  in  the  middle  of  the  day  regularly. 
In  answer  the  mother-in-law  straightens  herself 
up,  and  with  a sarcastic  smile  she  assures  you 
that  that  child’s  small  stomach  is  not  able  to  contain 
more  food  than  she  gets.  By  this  you  know  that, 
while  for  the  sake  of  the  work  she  is  willing  to 
bring  her  daughter-in-law  to  the  dispensary  to  get 
medicine  which  costs  her  nothing,  she  will  not  go 
to  the  expense  of  one  extra  pic  { a .small  copper  coin, 
worth  about  one  sixth  of  a cent)  for  the  sake  of  im- 
proving her  daughter-in-law’s  health  or  prolonging 
her  life.  We  have  a secret  closet  in  our  hospital, 
of  which  I carry  the  key.  It  contains  beef  extract, 
mutton  extract,  essence  of  chicken,  soups,  and  other 
nourishing  preparations.  “My  Esther,”  my  Christian 
matron,  and  one  or  two  of  my  Christian  nurses 
know  about  this  closet,  and  so  I give  to  one  of  them 
the  key,  and  she  understands  what  is  meant.  Pres- 
ently she  returns  with  a large  bottle,  having  upon  it 
a very  imposing  scarlet  label,  directing  that  the 
patient  take  one  wineglassful  of  the  contents  every 
hour.  Of  course,  if  these  high-caste  natives  knew 
that  I was  feeding  a member  of  their  family  upon 
beef  or  mutton,  or  any  other  meat  preparation,  my 
life  would  no  longer  be  safe  in  their  midst.  They 
do  not  know  it,  however,  and  there  is  little  danger 
of  their  ever  finding  it  out,  as  none  of  them  would 
know  the  taste  of  meat,  however  prepared,  if  they 
were  fed  upon  it.  By  this  means  we  are  able  at 


70 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


least  to  prevent  the  child  from  starvation,  and  to 
give  her  a little  strength  whereby  she  may  perform 
her  daily  task  without  excessive  fatigue. 

I have  endeavored  to  describe  a few  of  my  most 
interesting  patients  in  order  to  acquaint  you  with 
those  peculiar  pathological  conditions  which  result 
from  the  strange  and  cruel  practices  of  this  most 
barbarous  people.  I have  not  mentioned  any  of 
the  many  cases  of  leprosy  which  come  to  our  dis- 
pensary for  treatment;  nor  yet  that  even  more 
loathsome  but  unnamable  disease  which  prevails 
to  such  an  alarming  extent  throughout  this  part  of 
India ; nor  smallpox,  which  is  sometimes  seen ; nor 
cholera,  many  cases  of  which  we  have  during  every 
cholera  season.  It  has  not  been  my  object  to  dis- 
cuss medical  subjects,  nor  to  outline  the  treatment 
of  diseases  peculiar  to  India ; but  rather  merely  to 
touch  upon  those  self-inflicted  tortures  which  ac- 
quaint us  with  the  cruel  customs,  prejudices,  and 
barbarous  practices  of  these  people  in  their  inner 
home-life.  Perhaps,  if  you  were  there  with  me  in 
person,  instead  of  being  there  merely  in  imagina- 
tion, the  thing  which  would  leave  the  deepest  and 
the  most  indelible  impression  upon  your  mind,  more 
than  any  diseased  condition  which  I have  named  or 
could  name,  is  the  expression  upon  the  counte- 
nances of  these  women — old  and  young.  As  we 
enter  together  the  great  front  door  which  leads  into 
the  front  veranda,  and  you  cast  your  eyes  over  the 
crowd  of  women  and  children  that  sit  upon  the 
floor  of  that  veranda,  you  will  see  upon  their  faces 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


71 


an  expression  of  settled,  unchanging,  hopeless  mis- 
ery, which  it  is  utterly  impossible  to  describe.  The 
children  are  not  playing  around  with  one  another. 
There  seems  to  be  no  real  child-life  among  them ; 
it  has  been  utterly  crushed  out;  unless,  indeed, 
there  happen  to  be  some  little  boys  in  the  crowd. 
The  girls,  though  little  more  than  babes,  sit  quietly 
on  the  floor,  like  old  women,  wearing  the  same  look 
of  hopeless  despair  and  wretchedness.  You  never 
see  these  little  girls  at  play ; you  never  see  a happy, 
joyous  expression  upon  their  countenances.  And 
many  women  at  the  age  of  thirty  appear  to  be  de- 
crepit, worn-out,  old  women. 

My  work  in  the  hospital  at  Hyderabad  was  de- 
lightful. There  was  nothing  difficult  or  arduous 
in  connection  with  it.  I had  a full  staff  of  efficient 
hospital  assistants,  who  seemed  to  vie  with  each 
other  in  rendering  me  the  most  prompt,  efficient, 
anticipative  service.  My  work  was  only  the  purely 
medical  and  surgical.  Indeed,  much  of  the  medical 
and  surgical  work  I could  safely  intrust  to  either 
“My  Esther,”  my  matron,  or  my  head  nurse.  The 
hospital  records  were  prepared  by  the  hospital 
clerk ; I had  only  to  review,  correct,  and  sign  them. 
Even  my  prescriptions  were  written  by  another  at 
my  dictation.  My  compounder,  or  druggist,  never 
made  a mistake  in  the  putting  up  of  his  medicines 
or  in  the  labeling  of  them.  Only  the  examination, 
diagnosis,  and  prescribing  for  my  medical  patients 
and  the  performing  of  major  operations  devolved 
upon  me ; and,  of  course,  the  overseeing  and  man- 


72 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


aging  of  the  whole.  All  this  was  pure  delight  to 
me,  as  I love  medicine  and  surgery  and  everything 
in  connection  with  it ; and  yet,  I assure  you,  often 
and  often  I have  returned  home  from  my  dispensary 
and  thrown  myself  upon  my  face  in  utter  weariness 
of  body  and  mind— not  because  of  any  work  which 
I had  performed,  but  simply  on  account  of  the 
heartrending  stories  of  suffering  to  which  I had 
listened  and  the  horrible  conditions  which  I had 
witnessed,  but  which  I felt  myself  so  utterly  helpless 
to  materially  better.  Indeed,  I often  questioned  in 
my  mind  whether  there  could  be  any  real  advantage 
in  relieving  the  present  merely  physical  suffering, 
and  prolonging  human  life  in  cases  where  the  heart, 
the  mind,  the  soul,  writhed  in  agony,  being  so  much 
more  hopelessly  diseased — the  heart  sufferings  ex- 
ceeding in  such  great  measure  any  possibility  of 
physical  pain. 

Will  you  go  with  me  to  visit  one  out-patient? 
The  messenger  is  a Hindu  prince.  He  comes  in  a 
fine  English  phaeton,  drawn  by  foiir  horses.  He 
has  two  coachmen  on  the  box,  two  standing  behind. 
He  himself  is  attired  in  pure  white  garments,  with 
the  peculiar  tall  silk  hat,  with  its  crown  downward 
and  its  rim  above,  which  is  worn  by  every  wealthy 
and  distinguished  native  gentleman  in  the  district 
of  Sindh.  He  is  a man  of  sixty  or  sixty-five  years 
of  age,  and  his  hair  is  quite  white.  He  informs  me 
that  one  of  his  wives  is  very  ill,  and  that  he  wishes 
me  to  go  at  once  to  see  her.  I take  my  seat  in  the 
carriage,  with  “ My  Esther”  at  my  side.  We  pass 


A Young  Hindu  Prince  A Wealthy  Mohammedan  Nawab,  or  Prince 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


75 


through  the  narrow  streets  of  the  native  city  until 
we  reach  a great  gateway  opening  through  a tall 
wall  which  surrounds  the  premises.  At  this  gate 
we  alight  from  our  carriage  and,  passing  through  a 
very  small  gate  in  the  center  of  one  of  the  two 
doors  of  which  the  large  gate  is  composed,  we  find 
ourselves  in  the  courtyard  of  the  prince.  This 
court  is  about  thirty  by  sixty  feet  in  size,  and  is  sur- 
rounded by  a great  wall.  At  the  farther  end  you 
see  a deep  veranda  with  a sloping  roof,  which  ob- 
structs the  skylight  so  much  as  to  render  it  quite 
dark.  We  cross  the  courtyard  and  enter  the  ve- 
randa, from  which  we  pass  through  a large  folding 
door  into  the  one  apartment  which  constitutes  the 
home  of  this  prince.  It  is  a room  of  about  fifteen 
by  thirty  feet  in  size.  There  is  no  window  in  the 
room,  nor  any  opening  except  the  door  through 
which  we  entered.  The  apartment  has  a ground 
floor.  You  see  no  furniture  about,  but  the  place  is 
crowded  with  women  and  children  of  all  ages.  As 
soon  as  our  eyes  become  accustomed  to  the  dimness 
we  are  conducted  to  a corner  of  the  room  behind 
the  door,  where,  stretched  upon  the  floor,  we  find 
the  emaciated  form  of  a woman  of  about  thirteen 
or  fourteen  years  of  age.  She  is  the  fourth  wife  of 
the  prince,  though  there  is  such  a remarkable  dis- 
crepancy in  their  ages.  I get  down  on  the  ground 
floor  by  the  side  of  my  little  patient,  in  order  to 
examine  her  carefully.  I find  no  organic  disease, 
but  soon  perceive  that  she  is  starving  to  death.  I 
prescribe  one  of  the  large  bottles  from  the  secret 


76 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


closet  in  my  dispensary,  and  volunteer  to  supply  a 
trained  nurse,  without  charge,  in  order  that  my  lit- 
tle patient  may  have  every  attention  and  may  be 
sure  to  get  the  medicine  and  the  other  nourish- 
ments which  I prescribe  at  regular  intervals.  The 
prince,  however,  gladly  accepting  the  medicine,  not 
knowing  its  ingredients,  refuses  the  services  of  my 
nurse,  assuring  me  that  his  wife  shall  have  every 
attention  and  that  my  minutest  orders  shall  be 
scrupulously  carried  out.  Thus  we  leave  them. 
The  following  day  the  same  carriage  stops  again  in 
front  of  my  bungalow  door.  The  prince  has  come 
to  take  me  again  to  his  home.  As  we  drive  along 
through  the  streets  of  the  native  city  he  tells  me 
that  his  wife,  my  patient,  is  a very  troublesome  lit- 
tle woman,  and  that  she  has  refused  to  take  my 
medicine  and  the  nourishment  which  I prescribed. 
He  assures  me  that  she  holds  me  in  great  reverence, 
and  that  if  I but  exercise  my  authority  over  her, 
scold  her  a little  and  command  her  sternly,  she 
will  obey  me  and  there  will  be  no  further  trouble. 
Again  in  the  dark  corner  with  my  patient,  I request 
“ My  Esther”  to  clear  the  room,  which  is  crowded 
with  women  and  children  as  before.  This  is  no  easy 
task.  With  arms  extended,  as  if  she  were  driving 
a flock  of  geese,  and  with  many  words  she  attempts 
to  get  the  women  and  children  into  the  courtyard. 
At  my  request  the  prince  assists  in  this  process  of 
driving ; but  as  fast  as  they  are  gotten  out  of  the 
door  they  slip  back  again,  stooping  under  the  out- 
stretched arms  of  “My  Esther,”  and  crowding  back 


“Mv  Esther,”  Mrs.  Mary  Esther  Isaac  Ilaht  Baksh 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


79 


into  some  dark  corner  where  they  may  see  and  hear 
all  that  is  going  on.  At  length,  however,  the  room 
is  empty,  and  I request  the  lord  of  the  place  to 
stand  in  the  door  and  guard  the  way,  that  no  person 
may  enter  again.  This  I do  with  the  double  mo- 
tive of  keeping  the  women  and  children  out  and 
meantime  keeping  him  away  also.  Of  course  I 
cannot  close  the  door,  for  all  the  light  we  get  comes 
through  it,  and  the  room  would  be  perfectly  dark  if 
the  door  were  closed.  Sitting  down  on  the  ground 
by  the  side  of  my  patient,  I take  her  little  emaciated 
hand  between  my  two  large  palms,  and  with  low- 
pitched  voice  I begin  talking  to  her  very  much  in 
the  same  way  as  I talked  to  the  little  girl  who  had 
been  beaten.  I tell  her  about  my  home  in  America, 
my  family  and  friends  there ; I tell'  her  about  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  his  love  for  her  and  for  me; 
how  he  left  his  home  in  heaven  to  come  to  earth, 
to  suffer  and  to  die  for  our  sakes.  I assure  her  of 
my  love  for  her,  my  great  interest  in  her,  my  sym- 
pathy for  her  in  her  sufferings,  and  my  desire  to 
help  her.  She  weeps  so  much  that  I feel  obliged 
to  discontinue  my  talk  lest  she  injure  herself. 
When,  finally,  she  is  calm  again  I ask  her  why  she 
did  not  take  my  medicine,  and  why  she  refused  the 
nourishment  which  I had  prescribed.  At  this  ques- 
tion she  puts  her  little  emaciated  hands  together  in 
a respectful  salaam  and  says,  while  her  voice  trem- 
bles with  emotion:  “ O,  doctor,  Sahiba,  do  not  ask 
me  to  take  your  medicine ! Do  not  ask  me  to  take 

the  nourishment ! If  I take  your  English  medicine, 
5 


80 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


and  if  I take  the  food  which  you  have  prescribed 
for  me,  I shall  get  well ; and,  O,  I do  not  wish  to 
get  well ! So  don’t — please  don’t — ask  me  to  take 
it!” 

’Tis  thus  in  heathen  darkness 
Fair  women  crave  to  die  ; 

Their  crushed  and  broken  spirits 
From  direst  fetters  fly. 

Such  mute  appeal,  unheeded, 

Must  rend  the  startled  air 

Till  God,  in  mercy  stooping. 

Avenge  that  silent  prayer. 

O,  haste,  ye  Christian  people, 

Of  every  clime  and  name, 

Go  bear  the  Gospel  message. 

Its  joyful  news  proclaim  ! 

Haste,  haste,  the  day  is  passing. 

The  harvest  ripe  appears  ; 

List  to  thy  Master’s  calling. 

Dispel  all  selfish  fears. 

Go,  lift  the  purdah  curtain  ! 

Go,  break  the  iron  bar ! 

Beat  down  that  wall  of  granite, 

And  shout  the  tidings  far. 


BOOK  II 


THE  ZENANA  HOMES 
OF  INDIAN  PRINCES 


TO 

THE  BELOVED  SON  OF  MY  ADOPTION 
MR.  J.  A.  ILAHI  BAKSH 
OF 

THE  HIMALAYA  MOUNTAINS 
INDIA 

THIS  SMALL  WORK 

“IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES” 
IS 

AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED 
BY 

HIS  EVER  FAITHFUL  AND  TRUE 
MOTHER-FRIEND 
THE  AUTHOR 


BOOK  II 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN 
PRINCES 


THE  TAJ  MAHAL 


HE  Taj  Mahal,  of  world-wide  celebrity,  is  situ- 


ated in  the  Northwest  Provinces  of  India, 
about  two  miles  from  the  city  of  Agra,  on  the  bank 
of  the  Jumna  River,  and  one  mile  east  of  Agra  fort. 
It  is  an  extraordinarily  beautiful  mausoleum,  and 
was  built  by  the  Emperor  Shah  Jahan  as  a sepul- 
cher for  himself  and  for  his  favorite  wife,  Muntaz- 
i-Mahal,  the  “ Exalted  of  the  Palace,”  who  died  in 


The  cost  of  this  temple  is  said  to  have  been  about 
two  crores  of  rupees  (about  ten  million  dollars)  and 
twenty  thousand  workmen  were  incessantly  em- 
ployed upon  it  for  a period  of  twenty-two  years. 

The  general  design  of  this  tomb  is  extremely 
complex  and  graceful,  and  the  workmanship  is  most 
elaborate  and  remarkably  beautiful.  The  chief 
features  of  the  building  are  the  mausoleum  in  the 
center,  on  an  elevated  platform,  surmounted  by  a 
magnificent  dome,  with  smaller  domes  at  each  cor- 
ner, and  four  very  graceful  and  exquisite  minarets 
one  hundred  and  thirty-three  feet  in  height.  The 


1629. 


85 


86 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


building  is,  for  the  most  part,  constructed  of  pure 
white  marble  from  Jeypore  and  red  sandstone  from 
Fatehpur  Sikri.  The  mosaic  work  of  the  interior 
is  remarkably  rich  and  beautiful  in  effect.  This  is 
the  finest  building  in  India,  and  is  acknowledged  to 
be  the  most  exquisitely  beautiful  structure  in  the 
world. 

A colossal  gateway  admits  you  to  the  inclosure. 
In  front  of  the  tomb  is  a beautiful  garden,  contain- 
ing a great  variety  of  tropical  trees,  in  the  center 
of  which  is  an  avenue  of  tall  dark  cypresses  sepa- 
rated by  fountains.  From  the  foundation  of  the 
tomb  arises  a double  platform,  the  first  being  of  red 
sandstone,  twenty  feet  high  and  one  thousand  feet 
broad ; the  second  of  marble,  fifteen  feet  high  and 
three  hundred  feet  square.  The  whole  building  is 
about  one  hundred  and  eighty-six  feet  square. 

The  following  description  is  taken  from  The 
Times  of  India,  and  was  written  by  William  H.  Rus- 
sell : 

‘ ‘ On  mounting  to  the  platform  of  tesselated  mar- 
ble on  which  the  body  of  the  building,  surmounted 
by  its  dome  and  slender  minarets,  stands,  the  propor- 
tions of  the  whole  are  so  full  of  grace  and  feeling 
that  the  mind  rests  quite  contented  with  the  general 
impression  ere  it  gives  a thought  to  the  details  of 
the  building — the  exquisite  screens  of  marble  in  the 
windows,  the  fretted  porches,  the  arched  doorways, 
from  which  a shower  of  fleecy  marble,  mingled 
with  a rain  of  gems,  seems  about  to  fall  upon  you ; 
the  solid  walls  melting  and  glowing  with  tendrils 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES 


87 


of  bright  flowers  and  wreaths  of  bloodstone,  agate, 
jaspar,  carnelian,  amethyst,  snatched  as  it  were 
from  the  garden  outside  and  pressed  into  the  snowy 
blocks.  Enter  by  the  doorway  before  you ; the 
arched  roof  of  the  cupola  rises  above  you,  and  the 
light  falls  dimly  on  the  shrinelike  tombs  in  the  cen- 
ter— see  glistening  marble  again — a winter  palace, 
in  whose  glacial  walls  some  gentle  hand  has  buried 
the  last  flowers  of  autumn.  And  hark ! As  you 
whisper  gently  there  rolls  through  the  obscure 
vault  overhead  a murmur  like  that  of  the  sea  on  a 
pebbly  beach  in  summer — a low  sweet  song  of  praise 
and  peace.  A white-bearded  moulvie,  who  never 
raises  his  eyes  from  his  book  as  we  pass,  suddenly 
reads  out  a verse  from  the  Koran.  Hark  again ! 
How  an  invisible  choir  takes  it  up,  till  the  reverber- 
ated echoes  swell  into  the  full  volume  of  the  sound 
of  many  voices ; it  is  as  though  some  congregation 
of  the  skies  were  chanting  their  earnest  hymns 
above  our  heads. 

“ The  tomb  stands  in  the  center.  A dome  of 
snowy  whiteness,  upward  of  two  hundred  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  platform,  with  a circumference  at 
the  base  of  more  than  the  same  number  of  feet, 
rises  above  the  great  pediment  which  constitutes 
the  shrine.  It  is  covered  by  two  gilt  balls,  which 
are  surmounted  by  a gilt  crescent.  At  each  angle 
of  the  building  a small  dome,  the  miniature  of  that 
in  the  center,  is  placed.  There  is  an  entrance  on 
each  side  of  the  shrine  formed  by  a very  beautifully 
proportioned  arch,  with  pointed  top  nearly  the 


88 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


height  of  the  whole  building,  and  smaller  arches  at 
the  sides.  All  this  marble  is  wonderfully  inlaid 
with  precious  stones,  with  texts  from  the  Koran, 
wreaths  of  flowers,  and  the  richest  arabesques.  It 
is  in  the  lower  part  of  the  building,  and  in  the  body 
of  the  terrace,  as  it  were,  below  the  dome,  that 
the  tombs  of  the  great  shah,  ‘ the  King  of  the 
World,’  and  of  his  consort  are  placed.  The  ceno- 
taph of  the  latter  is  covered  with  profuse  ornaments 
and  texts  from  the  holy  book  of  the  Mohammedans. 
Her  lord  lies  beside  her,  beneath  a less  costly  but 
loftier  monument,  and  the  two  tombs  are  inclosed 
by  a latticed  wall  of  white  marble,  which  is  cut  and 
carved  as  though  it  were  of  the  softest  substance  in 
the  world.  A light  burned  in  the  tombs,  and  some 
garlands  of  flowers  were  laid  over  the  rich  imita- 
tions of  themselves  by  which  the  surface  was  cov- 
ered. The  chamber  of  the  tomb  is  octagonal,  and 
is  nearly  in  utter  darkness.  The  effect  of  the  rays 
of  the  lamps  on  the  white  marble  railing  and  on 
parts  of  the  glistening  walls  of  the  tomb  is  powerful 
— gloomy  and  yet  bright.  On  emerging  thence  we 
once  more  enter  the  Great  Chamber,  where  are 
placed  the  unoccupied  sarcophagus  of  the  shah  and 
of  his  wife  directly  over  the  real  tombs  in  the  cham- 
ber below,  on  which  are  bestowed  the  most  elabo- 
rate efforts  of  the  extraordinary  skill  which  is  dis- 
played in  the  building.  Flowers  in  many  gems, 
mosaics,  wreaths,  scrolls,  texts,  run  riot  over  the 
marble  surface  of  the  sarcophagus,  walls,  and  vaulted 
dome  rising  above  us.” 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES 


89 


The  Zenana  Home  is  a small,  dark,  mud-plastered,  unfurnished 
room  where  the  high-caste  and  wealthy  married  woman  is  kept  in 
lifelong  seclusion.  It  is,  practically,  a prison-house,  a penitentiary 
cell,  the  tomb  of  a living  wife.  Even  the  favorite  wife  of  the  Em- 
peror Shah  Jahan  himself  must  have  known  no  better  home  than 
this  during  her  lifetime  ; but  after  her  death  the  above-described 
extravagantly  expensive  monument  was  erected  to  her  memory. 


The  dead  wife’s  tomb  is  grand  and  fair, 
All  wrought  from  snow-white  marble  rare  ; 
Bv  hand  inlaid  with  mother-of-pearl, 
Outlining  flower  and  beauteous  curl. 

Its  walls  and  ceilings  all  are  fraught 
With  work  mosaic,  strangely  wrought ; 

And  rich  and  beauteous  in  design, 

More  graceful  than  a clinging  vine  ; 

While  rainbow  colors  all  combine 
To  glorify  this  dead  wife’s  shrine — 

A monument  of  stately  grace 
Whose  brightness  rivals  heaven’s  face. 

Its  domes  of  shining  marble  rise 
In  bold  relief  toward  the  skies. 

Full  twenty  thousand  craftsmen  wrought, 
To  hew  from  stone  this  wondrous  thought, 
For  two  and  twenty  years,  they  say, 
Incessantly  they  toiled  away 
From  early  dawn  till  eventide  ; 

They  hewed,  and  carved,  and  beautified  ; 
Nor  did  the  daily  task  decrease. 

Nor  ever  did  the  labor  cease, 

Till  full  one  score  of  years  and  more — 

One  score  and  two — were  counted  o’er : 
When,  lo!  the  temple  stood  complete, 

With  grace  and  beauty  all  replete — 


The  Tomb  of  the  Dead 
and 

The  Tomb  of  the  Living 


90 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


And  wondering  nations  still  confess 
And  marvel  at  its  loveliness. 

Ten  million  dollars,  it  is  said, 

Were  spent  for  this  tomb  of  the  dead. 


The  tomb  of  living  wife,  I ween, 
Zenana  home  of  princess,  queen, 

Is  small,  and  dark,  and  bare,  and  mean, 
As  lowest  hovel  ever  seen. 

The  native’s  horse  and  goat  and  cow 
More  precious  are,  by  far,  I trow. 

Unto  his  “ royal  ” (?)  heart  than  she 
May  ever  hope  on  earth  to  be ; 

She  but  his  wife,  and  one  of  four — 

Or  one  of  many,  many  score. 

And  so  she  lives  in  living  tomb  ; 

It  is  her  “ fate,”  her  bitter  doom  ; 
Unloved,  unwept,  she  lives  to  weep 
And  lifelong,  changeless  vigil  keep. 

She  prays  to  die,  she  sighs  alone, 

But  no  one  heeds  her  bitter  moan  ; 

“ Only  a woman  ” she. 


THE  ZENANA  WOMAN  AND  HER  PURDAH 

HOME 

Zenana,  properly  speaking,  means  woman ; but 
in  a broader,  more  common  sense  it  has  come 
to  be  applied  more  particularly  to  the  high-caste 
wealthy  woman  of  India.  Or  it  may  mean  her 
home,  if  hers  can  be  called  a home — the  prison- 
house  where  she  is  kept  in  seclusion,  the  sepulcher 
where  she  must  remain  entombed  during  all  the  days 
of  her  life.  Indeed,  the  term  may  be  applied  to 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES 


91 


almost  anything  which  pertains  to  a native,  high- 
caste  wealthy  woman  of  India  or  to  her  secluded 
life. 

Purdah  really  means  curtain,  but  in  common 
usage  it  has  come  to  be  applied  to  the  zenana  home, 
or  house  ; to  the  long,  close  garment  which  conceals 
the  face  and  form  of  the  zenana  woman  ; or,  indeed, 
to  anything  which  contributes  to  the  seclusion  of  a 
high-caste  Indian  woman. 

We  often  speak  of  a “ purdah  woman,”  or  we 
may  speak  of  a “zenana  woman”  as  being  “in 
purdah.”  Both  words  relate  to  the  custom  of  keep- 
ing  high-caste  native  women  of  wealthy  parentage 
in  seclusion,  but  the  word  zenana  relates  more  par- 
ticularly to  the  high-caste  wealthy  native  woman 
herself,  while  purdah  relates  to  the  environments 
which  are  adjusted  with  a view  to  her  seclusion. 

The  very  poor  and  the  low-caste  women  of  India, 
who  greatly  outnumber  the  wealthy,  are  as  free  as 
the  women  of  any  country ; and  may  go  out  and  in 
at  their  pleasure,  carry  packages  on  their  heads 
from  the  railway  station  to  European  homes  with 
the  common  coolies,  sweep  the  streets,  visit  the 
parks  with  the  children  whom  they  have  in  charge, 
carry  on  regular  laundry  work — going  for  and 
bringing  back  the  clothes  themselves;  indeed,  they 
are  free  to  engage  in  any  occupation  which  belongs 
to  their  caste. 

The  daughter  or  the  wife  of  a high-caste  wealthy 
native  gentleman,  however,  has  no  such  privilege. 
She  may  never  wander  free  over  God’s  green  sod. 


92 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


She  may  never  watch  the  advancing  glory  of  the 
rising  sun  in  the  eastern  horizon  nor  gaze  upon  the 
gorgeous  sunset  in  the  west.  Her  foot  may  never 
leave  its  imprint  in  the  soft,  moist  sand  of  the  sea- 
shore. She  may  not  roam  the  woodland,  nor  pluck 
the  opening  blossom  laden  with  dew  in  the  early 
springtime,  nor  inhale  the  fragrance  that  fills  the 
air,  exuding  from  every  growing  thing.  She  may 
never  wander  by  the  flowing  stream,  nor  climb  the 
mountain  height,  nor  rest  in  the  shade  of  a tree, 
nor  breathe  at  early  dawn  the  fresh,  cool,  perfumed 
air  that  fills  with  joy  and  life  and  vigor  every  living 
thing.  She  is  a prisoner,  condemned  to  lifelong 
solitude  and  close  confinement,  though  guilty  of  no 
crime ; though  innocent  and  guileless  as  an  infant. 

There  is  no  chair  in  her  home,  no  table,  no  fur- 
niture of  any  kind,  no  carpet  on  the  mud  floors  of 
her  dwelling,  no  picture  upon  the  mud  walls ; the 
mud  ceiling  of  her  prison-house  is  festooned  with 
smoke  only.  In  the  courtyard  surrounding  her 
prison-house  there  may  be  an  old,  half-dead  tree, 
with  its  leaves  withered  and  its  branches  broken. 
There  may  be  one  or  two  horses,  cows,  or  goats, 
and  a caged  parrot  also.  There  is  no  grass.  The 
place  is  surrounded  by  high  brick  or  stone  walls 
plastered  over  with  mud.  True,  if  her  eyes  are 
strong  enough  to  bear  the  terrible  glare,  she  may 
gaze  upon  the  sun  at  the  noon  hour  as  he  passes 
almost  directly  over  her  head.  In  the  morning  and 
in  the  evening  she  may  look  up  above  her  head  and 
see  God’s  blue  sky,  but  it  is  not  the  deep  blue  that 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES 


93 


delights  and  rests  the  eye  in  this  more  temperate 
clime ; that  beautiful  deep  blue  color  seems  burned 
out  in  the  awful  heat,  so  that  the  sky  assumes  a 
pale  gray  aspect,  like  a bleached  and  faded  gar- 
ment. During  the  monsoon  weather  she  may  watch 
the  clouds,  dark  and  threatening,  as  they  pass  above 
the  dingy  walls  of  her  prison-house.  Bouquets  of 
cut  blossoms  may  be  brought  to  her  to  relieve  the 
dull  monotony  of  her  solitary  life,  but  this  is  all, 
or  nearly  all,  that  she  is  permitted  to  enjoy  of  all 
the  numberless  beautiful  things  which  God  has 
given  to  rest  the  eye  and  delight  the  human  soul. 

She  is  not,  however,  altogether  alone  in  her  soli- 
tude. She  is  one  of  many  wives.  If  she  be  the 
first,  or  one,  even,  of  the  four  chief  wives,  she  is 
fortunate  indeed.  She  may  be  only  one  of  the  hun- 
dred, or  four  hundred,  concubines  in  her  husband’s 
harem  ; in  which  latter  case  she  is  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  a slave — purchased  at  a price — who  may 
be  kicked  or  beaten  at  the  caprice  of  her  lord  and 
master,  and  upon  the  slightest  provocation. 

Who  would  not  choose  the  hard,  half-starved, 
overworked  but  free  life  of  the  poorest  sweeper 
woman  rather  than  the  imprisoned,  monotonous 
existence  of  a high-caste  zenana  woman,  though 
hers  be  royal  blood? 

The  Zenana  Woman 
She  is  a princess,  or  a queen — 

She  may  not  see,  nor  yet  be  seen. 

She  may  not  laugh,  and  shout,  and  play 
Through  childhood’s  buoyant,  festive  day. 


94 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


She  may  not  other  maidens  know 
In  youth,  nor  may  she  skip  or  row. 

She  has  no  toys  with  which  to  play — 

No  games  to  while  the  hours  away. 

She  seldom  hears  a story  new ; 

Of  stranger  guests  she  has  but  few. 

She  cannot  knit,  nor  sew,  nor  brew, 

Nor  any  other  task  pursue. 

She  cannot  write,  nor  read,  you  know  ; 

To  school  she  is  forbid  to  go. 

She  may  not  with  the  poet  soar, 

Nor  study  any  ancient  lore  ; 

Nor  scan  a paper,  or  a book. 

Nor  even  on  a picture  look. 

Within  four  dingy  walls  of  clay 
She  is  forever  doomed  to  stay — 

Though  guilty  of  no  crime,  I trow. 

Her  guileless  heart  and  olive  brow 
Must  feel  a thraldom  and  a woe 
Which  free-born  souls  need  never  know. 
She  ne’er  may  wander  glad  and  free 
As  any  child  of  God  should  be. 

Her  foot  may  never  tread  the  mead 
Where  cowslips  grow  and  wild  deer  feed. 
She  ne’er  may  roam  the  woodland  through. 
Nor  pluck  the  gentle  violet  blue  ; 

Nor  trace  the  outline  of  a flower 
Beneath  some  sheltered  woodland  bower. 
Her  foot  elastic  may  not  know 
Nor  feel  the  yielding  sod  below. 

She  ne’er  may  list  the  wild  bird  s song. 
Where  myriad  feathered  minstrels  throng. 
She  ne’er  may  hear  the  echo  fall 
Within  God’s  blue-arched  forest  hall  ; 

Nor  breathe  the  clover-scented  air, 

Nor  watch  the  bees  their  sweets  prepare. 
Her  foot  may  never  wander  free 
By  any  stream,  ’neath  any  tree. 


95 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES 

She  may  not  climb  the  mountain  steep, 

Nor  watch  the  cataract’s  fearful  leap  ; 

Nor  rest  in  peaceful  valley  green, 

Nor  gaze  upon  a beauteous  scene. 

She  may  not  scent  the  new-mown  hay, 

Nor  watch  the  golden  dawn  of  day  ; 

Nor  see  the  sun  in  glory  set, 

Nor  pluck  the  blossoms,  dewy  wet ; 

Nor  breathe  the  perfumed  morning  air, 

Nor  gather  shells  and  pebbles  rare ; 

Nor  feel  the  thrill  of  dawning  light, 

Nor  sadness  sweet  of  gathering  night. 

The  holy  calm  of  eventide 

Is  all  unknown  where  such  abide. 

Her  pulses  may  not  thrill  and  glow 
To  see  the  world  clad  white  with  snow. 

She  ne’er  may  see  great  forests  bow 
’Neath  pyramids  of  snow,  I trow  ; 

Nor  may  she  see  the  giant  trees, 

Left  naked  by  the  autumn  breeze, 

All  clothed  in  diamonds — as  it  seems — 

And  shining  in  the  sun’s  bright  beams. 

She  may  not  sail  the  deep  sea  o’er. 

Nor  press  the  yielding,  sandy  shore. 

She  may  not  list  the  ocean’s  roar. 

Nor  watch  the  eagle  proudly  soar, 

Nor  hearken  to  the  laughing  brook, 

Nor  slumber  in  a shady  nook  ; 

Nor  feel,  nor  see,  nor  hear,  nor  know 
The  wondrous  marvels  here  below— 

All  things  with  grace  and  beauty  fraught. 
Which  God’s  almighty  hand  hath  wrought. 
Her  bleeding  heart  and  aching  head 
Must  rest  upon  a prison  bed  ; 

Within  four  walls  her  life  be  passed — 

Her  ashes  in  the  Ganges  cast. 


6 


96 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


Mr.  Syed  Mohammed,  Aid-de-camp  to  His  Excellency  the 
Nawab  Khurshed  Jah. 

Hyderabad,  November,  io,  1887. 
Miss  Saleni  Armstrong,  M.D. 

Dear  Doctor  : I have  much  pleasure  in  introducing  to  you  Mr. 
Syed  Mohammed,  Aid-de-camp  to  His  Excellency  the  Nawab 
Khurshed  Jah.  Mr.  Syed  Mohammed  desires  an  interview  with 
you  respecting  medical  attendance  to  the  Begam  of  His  Excellency 
the  Nawab. 

I am  expecting  that  your  skill,  under  God,  will  restore  the  Begam 
to  health. 

Most  sincerely, 

S.  P.  Jacobs. 

The  above  letter  explains  itself.  Shortly  after 
its  receipt  Mr.  Syed  Mohammed,  accompanied  by 
several  native  physicians,  was  ushered  into  my 
presence.  They  came  to  engage  me  as  family 
physician  to  His  Excellency  the  Nawab  Khurshed 
Jah,  of  Hyderabad,  Deccan.  Accordingly,  on  the 
22d  day  of  November,  1887,  several  visits  and  let- 
ters having  been  exchanged  in  the  interval,  an  ar- 
ticle of  agreement  was  drawn  up  and  written  on 
English  government  stamped  paper,  according  to 
law,  and  signed  by  both  parties. 

The  Nawab  agreed  to  pay  my  professional  fee  of 
seventy-five  rupees  per  day,  in  addition  to  all  inci- 
dental and  traveling  expenses  of  myself  and  serv- 
ants, from  the  time  of  leaving  home  until  my  return. 

As  this  agreement  may  be  somewhat  curious  and 
interesting  in  this  country,  we  will  here  insert  a fac- 
simile of  the  original  document : 


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Fac-simile  of  Legal  Agreement,  Written  on  Government 
Stamped  Paper. 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES 


99 


EMISSARIES  FROM  HIS  HIGHNESS  SAGHT  SING, 
THE  MAHARAJAH  OF  BHINAI  DISTRICT 

On  the  18th  day  of  May,  1888,  while  in  my  great 
Khetwady  Castle  home  and  hospital  in  Bombay,  a 
kind  note  from  Dr.  James  Arnott,  of  the  Bombay 
Medical  College,  announced  to  me  the  arrival  of 
emissaries  from  His  Highness  Saght  Sing,  the 
Maharajah  of  Bhinai  District;  and  presently  my 
good  butler  ushered  the  gentlemen  into  my  con- 
sulting office,  where  I sat  alone  with  my  inter- 
preter, Mrs.  Moses.  There  were  three  of  them, 
all  small-sized  native  men,  each  attired  in  a dress 
peculiar  to  his  individual  rank  and  country.  It 
was  a great  medico-legal  consultation  case  to  which 
these  emissaries  had  come  to  call  me.  Physicians 
were  expected  from  various  parts  of  India,  and 
they  wished  me  to  make  the  journey  from  Bombay 
to  Ajmere  in  company  with  one  Dr.  William  Dim- 
mock  in  time  to  meet  the  other  physicians  who 
would  gather  there.  This  I agreed  to  do  in  con- 
sideration of  the,  to  the  Maharajah,  moderate  fee 
of  one  thousand  rupees  and  all  expenses.  This 
stipulation  was  readily  agreed  to,  and  the  sum  of 
one  thousand  two  hundred  and  thirty-one  rupees 
was  paid  into  my  hand  in  advance,  with  the  under- 
standing that  any  expense  exceeding  this  amount 
should  be  met  by  the  Maharajah  before  my  return 
from  Ajmere.  Accordingly,  on  the  2 1st  instant,  I 
received  the  following  characteristic  native  letter 
from  Lachmi  Narain,  one  of  the  emissaries  and  the 


100 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


private  secretary  to  His  Highness  the  Maharajah,  a 
copy  of  which  I here  insert : 

(An  exact  copy  of  original  letter.) 

Duncan  Road,  21st  May,  ’88. 
Dr.  Miss  Armstrong,  M.D.,  Esq., 

Pyn  Hospital,  Khetwady. 

Sir : 

I have  the  honour  to  solicit  your  goodself  that  please  make  ar- 
rangements for  going  to  Ajmer e ; because  I have  received  the 
telegram  to-day  from  Ajmere  ; so  I beg  to  enclose  its  copy  here 
for  your  kind  perusal. 

Will  you  kindl  oblige  me  by  letting  me  know  that  when  your 
goodself  have  time  after  4 o’clock  this  evening  that  I also  may 
come  to  your  Hospital. 

Please  drop  a line  or  two  about  your  journey  settlement  and 
oblige.  Excuse  trouble. 

I am,  sir, 
yours  most  obdy, 

Lachmi  Narain,  Private  Secretary 
to  H.  H.  the  Maharaja 

of  Bhinai  in  Ajmere. 


FROM  BOMBAY  TO  AJMERE 

In  India,  as  in  almost  any  part  of  Europe,  one  may 
travel  first  class,  second  class,  intermediate,  or  third 
class,  according  to  the  proportions  of  the  individual 
purse.  The  first  class  affords  every  comfort  and 
luxury  which  the  most  exacting  could  desire,  and 
is  proportionately  expensive.  The  first-class  coach 
may  open  at  the  end  or  at  the  side.  In  either 
case  before  the  train  starts  the  doors  are  locked, 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES 


101 


and  the  first-class  passenger  is  a prisoner  in  an 
elegant  apartment,  with  broad,  long,  cushioned 
seats  and  a folding  table,  which  can  be  extended  at 
lunch  time  and  closed  afterward.  There  is  also  a 
very  comfortable  toilet  room,  provided  with  every 
convenience.  On  either  side  are  the  ordinary  rail- 
way coach  windows,  provided  with  close  shutters, 
which  are  usually  kept  tightly  fastened  during  the 
hot  season.  In  addition  to  these  there  is  a large 
round  hole  in  the  center  of  each  side  of  the  car. 
This  hole  is  filled  with  a thick,  solid  revolving 
wheel  made  of  cuscus  tatti , a fragrant  grass  or  root 
peculiar  to  India,  the  lower  half  of  which  dips  down 
into  a deep  trough  filled  with  water.  The  wheel 
has  a crank  by  which  it  may  be  turned  around  and 
around,  thus  saturating  the  whole  of  the  cuscus. 
The  hot  air  from  without,  passing  through  this 
wet,  dripping  grass,  is  cooled,  and  the  traveler 
in  the  first-class  compartment  is  comparatively 
comfortable.  In  some  cases  the  cuscus  tatti  is  ar- 
ranged differently,  the  water  dripping  from  above. 

The  second-class  carriage  is  similar  to  the  first- 
class,  except  that  the  carriage  is  somewhat  old  and 
worn  and  less  elegant.  It  has,  however,  all  the 
comforts  of  the  first,  and  is  provided  with  every 
convenience,  while  the  expense  involved  is  only 
half  that  of  the  first-class.  Very  few  people  in 
India  travel  first  class — a native  prince,  or  rajah,  or 
some  of  the  high  English  government  officials, 
perhaps.  The  majority  of  the  wealthy,  even,  travel 
second  class,  while  the  masses — thousands  and 


102 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


thousands  of  poor  people — travel  third  class ; which 
is  little,  if  any,  better  than  a cattle  car  in  Amer- 
ica. Here  the  natives,  with  their  filth,  their  food, 
their  bundles,  well-nigh  innumerable,  their  huq- 
quas,  and  their  babies,  are  packed  together  like 
cattle  in  a stall.  The  intermediate  compartment, 
however,  is  an  improvement  upon  the  third-class, 
though  far  from  being  comfortable.  It  is  a small 
place,  about  four  by  eight  feet  in  size,  having  two 
narrow,  straight,  bare  benches  running  lengthwise 
of  the  compartment — which  is  crosswise  of  the  car. 
A narrow  door  opens  at  each  end  of  the  compart- 
ment. On  either  side  of  these  doors  there  is  a very 
small,  narrow  window.  The  floor  is,  of  course, 
bare,  and  the  ceiling  very  low.  Altogether  the 
place  is  small,  crowded,  dusty,  close,  hot,  and  very 
uncomfortable. 

The  expense  of  an  intermediate  ticket  is  just 
double  that  of  a third-class  and  half  the  price  of  a 
second-class  ticket,  and  by  some  it  is  laughingly 
designated  “the  missionary  first-class,” because  the 
missionaries  usually  travel  on  an  intermediate 
ticket.  When,  however,  a physician  is  called  to 
the  home  of  a wealthy  native  that  physician  must 
travel  first  class  if  he  or  she  would  collect  a first- 
class  fee.  If  you  take  a second-class  railroad  pas- 
sage to  the  home  of  a wealthy  patient,  that  wealthy 
patient  will  invariably  conclude  that  you  are  a 
second-class  doctor.  If  you  travel  intermediate  or 
third  class,  you  will  be  regarded  as  a third-class 
doctor,  or  less  than  that. 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES  103 


In  Bengal  native  baboos  who  have  attended  the 
Calcutta  Medical  College  for  one  term,  and  who 
have  failed  in  their  examination,  abandon  the  idea 
of  any  further  study  of  medicine,  return  to  their 
homes,  and  hang  out  a sign  upon  which  is  written 

words  to  the  following  effect:  “ Dr.  Baboo ; 

failed  first  year ; fee,  four  annas” — that  is,  eight  cents 
per  visit.  If  he  is  so  fortunate  as  to  have  success- 
fully passed  his  first  examination,  he  continues  an- 
other term  ; and  if  he  fail  in  the  second  examination, 
he  will  return  to  his  home  and  announce  himself  as 

follows:  “Dr.  Baboo  ; failed  second  year; 

fee,  eight  annas  ” — that  is,  sixteen  cents  per  visit. 
If  he  be  able  to  get  through  the  second  examina- 
tion and  pass  on  to  the  end  of  the  third  year,  and 
then  fail,  he  will  establish  himself  in  practice  with 
great  confidence,  and  his  sign  will  read:  “Dr. 

Baboo ; failed  third  year ; fee,  one  rupee  ” — 

about  thirty-three  cents  per  visit.  Thus  is  a physi- 
cian’s professional  fee  graded  according  to  his 
qualifications.  If  you  charge  a small  fee  to  a rich 
native,  he  will  consider  that  you  are  a second  or  a 
third-class  doctor.  The  larger  your  fee,  the  more 
expensive  your  method  of  travel,  the  larger  your 
retinue  of  servants,  the  more  trouble  you  require 
at  the  hands  of  your  patients,  the  better  your  qual- 
ifications are  supposed  to  be.  A first-class  doctor, 
it  is  commonly  supposed,  will  charge  a first-class 
fee,  will  travel  in  a first-class  railroad  carriage,  and 
will  be  in  all  respects  first-class,  requiring  first- 
class  service  from  all  his  attendants.  Therefore, 


104 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


while  doing  an  immense  amount  of  gratuitous 
practice  for  the  poor,  and  carrying  on  a free  dis- 
pensary for  the  lowest-caste  people  in  Bombay, 
yet  I charged  a handsome  fee  when  attending  the 
rich  native,  and  traveled  first  class  on  my  way  to 
his  home. 

Ajmere  is  a very  ancient  city  of  Rajputana, 
which  is  the  capital  of  the  British  district,  about 
two  hundred  and  twenty-eight  miles  by  rail  south- 
west of  Agra.  It  is  situated  in  a very  beautiful 
and  picturesque  rocky  valley,  and  is  surrounded  by 
a stone  wall,  which  has  three  large  gateways.  It 
contains  several  mosques  and  temples  of  immense 
architecture.  The  Dargah,  or  tomb  of  Knaja,  the 
Mussulman  saint,  is  much  venerated.  Many  of 
the  streets  of  Ajmere  are  broad  and  contain  fine 
residences. 

In  1891  Ajmere  had  a population  of  68,843,  °f 
whom  about  26,683  were  Hindus,  and  18,702  Mo- 
hammedans. 

The  journey  from  Bombay  to  Ajmere,  a distance 
by  rail  of  about  six  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  was  a 
very  tedious  and  trying  one  during  the  month  of 
May,  which  is  one  of  the  hot  months  in  this  part 
of  India.  Fortunately,  however,  we  arrived  after 
sunset  and  were  taken  to  a well-kept  English  hotel, 
where  everything  was  done  for  our  comfort.  Huge 
punkas  swinging  from  the  ceiling  of  every  room 
were  kept  in  constant  motion.  Deep  verandas  sur- 
rounded the  entire  house.  Every  outside  door  had 
an  extra  hot-weather  door,  composed  of  solid  cuscus 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES  105 


tatti,  thickly  woven.  Upon  each  of  these  doors  a 
bucket  of  cold  water  was  thrown  at  short  intervals 
during  the  day.  In  this  way  the  atmosphere  of  the 
rooms  was  made  endurably  cool,  although  the  heat 
outside  was  so  great  as  to  render  it  hazardous  for 
one  to  leave  the  house  after  seven  o’clock  in  the 
morning  or  before  six  in  the  evening ; and  even  at 
seven  o’clock  p.  m.,  taking  a drive  up  and  down  the 
streets  of  Ajmere,  the  air  strikes  the  cheek  like  the 
heated  blast  from  a furnace,  parching  the  lips  and 
rendering  the  eyes,  nostrils,  and  mouth  dry. 


A CURIOUS  MEDICO-LEGAL  CONSULTATION 

The  day  for  the  consultation  arrived ; and  at  the 
appointed  hour  we  were  ushered  into  the  presence 
of  His  Highness  Saght  Sing,  the  Maharajah  of 
Bhinai  District.  He  seemed  in  every  way  a very 
ordinary  Hindu.  He  was  not  acquainted  with  the 
English  language,  and  so,  of  course,  I conversed 
with  him  through  my  interpreter,  whom  I had  taken 
with  me  from  Bombay.  The  medico-legal  question 
related  to  a young  son,  about  a year  old.  The 
Maharajah  claimed  this  child  to  be  the  son  of  his 
second  legal  wife ; but  the  Maharajah’s  brother 
disputed  the  matter.  The  Maharajah  had  been 
married  to  this  particular  one  of  his  chief  wives  for 
many  years,  but  she  had  nevere  borne  him  any 
children ; and  the  Maharajah’s  title,  estate,  and  all 
honors  and  wealth  therewith  connected  seemed 


106 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


destined  to  go  to  his  nephew,  his  brother’s  son. 
At  length  a male  child  was  born  in  the  home  of 
this  Maharajah,  and  he  announced  that  Her  High- 
ness Sarupkanwar  Bai,  the  Maharani  of  Bhagore, 
his  second  legal  wife,  had  borne  him  this  son. 
Doubts  as  to  the  truth  of  this  assertion  were  enter- 
tained from  the  beginning  by  his  brother  and 
others.  At  length  the  matter  was  brought  to  trial. 
Several  medico-legal  consultations  had  been  held 
previous  to  this  occasion,  but  in  each  particular 
case  the  several  doctors  had  disagreed  in  their 
diagnoses,  and  their  certificates  had  proven  unsatis- 
factory. On  the  occasion  of  which  we  are  writing 
the  lady  physicians  from  the  Punjab,  Calcutta,  and 
other  parts  of  India,  who  were  expected,  either  dis- 
appointed the  Maharajah  altogether  or  arrived  too 
late  for  the  consultation.  Consequently  I was 
obliged  to  conduct  the  examination  alone  as,  of 
course,  the  gentlemen  physicians  were  not  allowed 
to  see  the  queen  nor  to  enter  the  apartment  which 
was  occupied  by  her. 

Her  Highness  Sarupkanwar  Bai,  the  Maharani,  is 
a very  tall,  large-framed,  and  heavy  Hindu  woman. 
I found  her  in  a rather  large  room,  which  was,  how- 
ever, entirely  without  furniture.  It  had  a bare  ce- 
ment floor,  with  mud-plastered  walls  and  ceiling. 
The  place  was  so  dark  as  to  make  it  difficult  to  conduct 
a satisfactory  examination.  The  queen  -was  sur- 
rounded by  a large  company  of  native  women — 
friends,  relatives,  personal  attendants,  and  servants. 
She  was  dressed  as  she  appears  in  the  accompan}’- 


Her  Highness  Sarupkanwar  Bai,  The  Maharani  of  Bhagore 
(A  Hindu  Queen) 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES 


109 


ing  portrait,  and  held  in  her  arms  the  young  heir 
whom  she  claimed  to  be  her  son.  She  related  to 
me  the  sad  and  pitiful  story  of  her  life.  She  told 
me  that  she  had  been  sterile,  and  that  for  this 
reason  her  husband  had  hated  and  abused  her  in 
the  most  cruel  manner. 

As  I conducted  the  examination  to  the  best  of 
my  ability  under  existing  circumstances,  Dr.  Dim- 
mock,  who  had  accompanied  me  from  Bombay, 
stood  outside  of  the  locked  and  bolted  door  and 
called  to  me  from  time  to  time,  asking  the  medical 
questions  relating  to  the  case  which  it  was  neces- 
sary for  us  to  record,  I shouting  back  the  answers  as 
rapidly  as  I was  able  to  ascertain  the  true  condition, 
my  interpreter  also  taking  notes. 

When  the  consultation  was  all  over  a lady  physi- 
cian from  the  Punjab  arrived  on  the  scene.  She 
had  delayed  in  order  to  obtain  her  fee  in  advance, 
about  which  there  had  been  a great  dispute. 

After  returning  to  our  hotel  I dictated  to  my  in- 
terpreter the  certificate,  describing  the  condition  of 
our  patient  as  I had  found  it,  and  Dr.  Dimmock 
signed  the  certificate  with  me.  I never  heard  the 
result  of  the  trial,  and  do  not  know  whether  or  not 
the  young  son  was  proven  to  be  the  rightful  heir  to 
the  Maharajah’s  title  and  estate. 

On  account  of  the  late  arrival  of  the  lady  physi- 
cian from  the  Punjab  Dr.  Dimmock  and  myself 
were  detained  in  Ajmere  longer  than  was  at  first 
arranged  for,  being  away  from  our  homes  in  Bom- 
bay for  a period  of  five  days,  instead  of  three,  as 


110 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


was  at  first  anticipated.  In  consideration  of  this 
undue  detention  in  Ajmere  His  Highness  the  Ma- 
harajah paid  me  a further  sum  of  eight  hundred 
rupees,  in  addition  to  the  one  thousand  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty-one  rupees  which  I had  received  in 
advance.  This  sum  of  eight  hundred  rupees  he 
sent  to  Bombay  for  me  during  my  absence  in 
Hyderabad,  as  will  appear  in  the  following  letter 
from  Lachmi  Narain,  his  private  secretary: 

(An  exact  copy  of  original  letter.) 

Bhinai,  15th  June,  1888. 

Rajputana. 

Dr.  Miss  Saleni  Armstrong,  M.D.,  Esq.,  Bombay. 

Sir  : I have  the  honour  to  inform  you  that,  I had  been  to  Bombay, 
after  your  leaving  Ajmere,  in  the  beginning  of  this  month ; but  I 
am  very  sorry  that  I had  not  pleasure  of  seeing  you,  as  your  goodself 
was  at  Haidrabad. 

I had  given  800  eight  hundreds  to  Dr.  Dim  mock  & took  the 
certificate. 

I hope  I shall  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  there  in  the  mean- 
time ; if  God  will  help  me. 

Please  give  my  best  regards  to  Miss  L.  L.  Seity  your  asisstt  & 
also  to  your  interpreter. 

I hope  your  goodself  are  in  the  best  enjoyment  of  good  health. 
1 shall  be  more  lucky  to  hear  from  you  about  your  welfare.  Please 
drop  a line  or  two  & oblige. 

Rao  Sahib  with  kind  regards. 

I have  the  honor  to  be  Sir,  Yours  most  obor 
< Kindi  use  j Lachmi  Narain,  Pt  Secretary  to  H.  H. 

\ for  address  i of  Bhinai  Distt.  Ajmere, 

Rajputana. 

P.  S.  Kindi  also  send  the  receipt  othe  sum  of  Rupies  1231 
which  was  given  by  me  to  your  goodself,  for  your  fees  of  Ajmere 
Journey. 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES  111 


A PROFESSIONAL  VISIT  TO  THE  HAREM  OF 
A MOHAMMEDAN  PRINCE 

Within  an  hour  after  my  return  to  Bombay 
from  Ajmere  I received  a telegram  from  His 
Excellency  Nawab  Khurshed  Jah,  of  Hyderabad, 
Deccan,  calling  me  to  that  city  for  the  purpose  of 
treating  his  favorite  wife,  the  “Mad  Begam,”  as 
she  is  familiarly  called. 

The  Nawab  is  a Mohammedan  prince  of  great 
influence,  being  second  only  to  the  Nizam  himself 
in  power,  in  position,  in  wealth,  and  in  influence. 

Hyderabad  is  a characteristic  native  Mohamme- 
dan city,  and  is  the  capital  of  the  Nizam’s  dominion 
of  the  same  name,  a great  native  or  feudatory 
state,  which  occupies  the  larger  part  of  the  Deccan, 
or  central  plateau  of  Southern  India,  situated  be- 
tween the  provinces  of  Bombay  and  Madras ; and 
a distance  of  about  three  hundred  and  ninety  miles 
by  rail  northwest  of  the  latter  city. 

Hyderabad  is  six  miles  in  circumference,  and  is 
surrounded  by  a stone  wall,  flanked  by  bastions. 
In  1891  it  had  a population  of  41 5,039.  It  is  one 
of  the  principal  strongholds  of  Mohammedanism 
in  India,  and  has  many  mosques.  Hyderabad 
stands  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Musi,  and  is  1,700 
feet  above  the  sea.  The  population  consists  of 
diverse  elements,  though  nearly  all  Mohammedans, 
and  is  full  of  warlike  spirit,  nearly  every  man, 
woman,  and  child  being  armed  with  swords,  knives, 
and  daggers  of  various  Indian  device.  It  is  said 


112 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


that  upon  very  slight  provocation  these  Moham- 
medans will  thrust  a dagger  to  the  heart  of  a friend 
or  neighbor.  A foreigner  found  within  the  city 
walls  is  liable  to  be  murdered  for  the  sake  of  a gold 
or  silver  ornament  upon  his  person  or  a few  rupees 
in  his  pocket.  Murder  is  a common  occurrence  in 
Hyderabad,  and  the  guilty  are  seldom  brought  to 
justice.  On  the  day  of  our  arrival,  however,  we 
saw  seventeen  Hyderabad  men  with  their  feet  in 
chains  and  their  hands  fastened  behind  them. 
They  had  been  arrested  by  the  English  govern- 
ment, were  guarded  by  English  officers,  and  were 
being  taken  into  Bombay  for  trial  under  charge  of 
murder. 

It  is  really  hazardous  for  any  foreigner — English, 
European,  American,  Hindu,  or  non-Mohammedan 
— to  pass  inside  the  walls  of  Hyderabad  city  except 
under  the  immediate  protection  of  armed  soldiers 
wearing  the  uniform  of  the  Nizam  or  of  some  v'ell- 
known  Hyderabad  prince.  Indeed,  many  instances 
are  recorded  in  which  foreigners  have  ventured 
within  the  city  walls  unguarded  and  never  been 
seen  again. 

The  railroad  station  is  situated  outside  of  Hyder- 
abad city,  as  the  railway  is  not  allowed  to  enter 
that  native  center. 

Upon  my  arrival  I was  met  at  the  railway  station 
by  the  Nawab’s  servants.  For  my  conveyance  he 
had  sent  three  splendid  English  phaetons,  the 
principal  one  of  which  was  drawn  by  foiir  thorough- 
bred English  horses.  The  Nawab  had  evidently 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES  113 


expected  that  I would  bring  with  me  a large  retinue 
of  servants,  many  personal  attendants,  and  a large 
amount  of  baggage.  Instead  of  which  I had  only 
my  interpreter,  and,  as  for  baggage,  only  my  small 
medicine  and  instrument  bags ; so  that  the  one  fine 
carriage,  drawn  by  the  four  horses,  was  quite  sufficient 
to  accommodate  us  both  with  all  our  luggage ; and 
the  other  two  fine  phaetons,  with  their  four  pran- 
cing steeds,  followed  on  behind  empty.  There  were 
to  each  carriage  two  coachmen,  dressed  in  fine  uni- 
form, two  footmen,  and  many  soldiers,  attired  in 
the  very  handsome  and  striking  uniform  peculiar 
to  the  Nawab’s  soldiers ; so  that  we  had  soldiers 
running  on  ahead,  following  behind,  and  running 
along  at  either  side  of  our  carriage. 

The  poor  natives  who  thronged  the  streets 
seemed  to  recognize  the  Nawab’s  soldiers  and  fine 
equipages,  and  the  way  was  quickly  cleared  for  us 
in  advance.  After  driving  through  many  of  the 
chief  streets  of  the  city  we  finally  came  to  the  great 
wall  which  surrounds  the  Nawab’s  estate.  The 
armed  soldiers  who  stood  guard  at  the  great  gate- 
way in  this  wall  were  ready  with  low  salaams  to 
admit  us  to  his  excellency’s  spacious  grounds,  and 
presently  we  drew  up  in  front  of  the  broad  steps 
leading  up  to  the  Nawab’s  European  palace.  These 
steps  were  like  those  of  a court  house  or  some  large 
public  building  rather  than  the  entrance  to  a private 
residence.  The  house  itself  is  a large  two-story 
building,  with  great,  deep  verandas  surrounding 
it  on  all  sides.  Several  servants,  in  their  pure 


114 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


white  native  garments  and  scarlet  sashes,  waited 
on  the  front  steps  to  receive  us,  and  the  chief  of 
these,  the  butler,  ushered  us  into  the  spacious  hall 
of  the  second  floor,  and  left  us  alone  to  make  our- 
selves at  home.  Before  leaving  us,  however,  he 
acquainted  us  with  the  fact  that  this  building  was 
kept  expressly  for  the  entertainment  of  the  Nawab’s 
English  and  European  guests;  and  that  the  place 
was  ours  while  we  remained  in  Hyderabad,  supplied 
with  a retinue  of  servants  awaiting  our  orders. 


THE  NAWAB'S  EUROPEAN  PALACE 

It  is  an  immense  place ; the  ceilings  are  very 
lofty  and  the  rooms  exceedingly  large.  The  entire 
palace  is  European  in  style  and  furnishing — at  least 
as  far  as  oriental  ideas  permit.  Any  European, 
however,  would  recognize  native  taste  in  the  selec- 
tion of  the  English  furniture — sofas,  chairs,  and 
other  furniture  upholstered  in  the  most  brilliant 
blue,  green,  purple,  orange,  or  scarlet  velvet  of  the 
finest  quality ; the  carpets,  brussels  or  velvet,  of 
the  most  brilliant  tints;  mirrors  extending  from 
the  floor  to  the  lofty  ceiling,  and  many  feet  in 
width,  surrounded  by  massive  gilt  frames;  chande- 
liers reaching  down  from  the  ceiling  with  almost 
innumerable  prismatic  pendants  dangling  and  shin- 
ing in  the  light. 

The  butler  glides  noiselessly  into  the  room  and 
announces  khana  (dinner)  ready,  bowing  low  in  a 
respectful  salaam.  The  great  dining  room  is  equally 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES  115 


elaborate  and  gaudy  in  its  furnishing.  The  long 
dining  table,  however,  is  neatly  and  tastefully 
spread.  No  food  is  upon  it  except  the  fruit,  and  it 
is  very  tastefully  and  elaborately  adorned  with 
flowers  in  pretty  English  vases. 

As  soon  as  we  have  taken  our  seats  the  soup  is 
placed  before  us,  and  after  this  follows  one  course 
after  another,  each  of  which  we  taste — the  fish,  the 
roast  and  vegetables,  curry  and  rice,  etc.,  etc.,  until, 
finally,  the  pudding  and  the  fruit;  after  which,  in 
real  English  fashion,  the  coffee  is  brought.  Dinner 
over,  my  interpreter  and  I seat  ourselves  in  the 
large  front  veranda,  where  we  can  enjoy  the  beauti- 
ful grounds  which  surround  this  European  palace. 

The  palace  is  surrounded  by  many  armed  soldiers, 
who  walk  up  and  down  around  the  house,  night  and 
day,  to  protect  the  place  and  us.  They  are  clad  in 
the  handsome  uniform  peculiar  to  the  Nawab’s 
soldiers. 

HIS  EXCELLENCY  NAWAB  KHURSHED  JAH 

As  we  sit  upon  the  veranda  we  see  coming  across 
the  lawn  several  native  servants  of  the  Nawab  bear- 
ing trays  in  their  hands,  and  as  they  approach  nearer 
we  observe  that  these  trays  are  laden  with  fruit  of 
many  kinds,  fine  and  luscious.  Leaving  their  san- 
dals on  the  ground,  they  mount  the  great  steps,  and 
coming  to  where  we  sit,  they  present  the  fruit,  bow- 
ing low  in  a respectful  salaam. 

Later  on  we  see  other  servants  comfng,  bearing 
trays  laden  with  flowers,  and  the  above-described 


116 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


ceremony  is  gone  through  with  by  these  also.  Once 
again  we  see  servants  coming  from  the  Nawab. 
This  time  they  bring  lai'ge  portraits — one  represent- 
ing the  Nawab  in  his  royal  dress,  another  represent- 
ing the  Nawab  in  his  everyday  costume  counting  his 
Mohammedan  prayer  beads  and  surrounded  by  his 
bodyguard  of  nine  men,  and  in  the  third  picture 
we  have  the  full-length  portrait  of  the  Nawab’s  only 
son  and  heir,  His  Excellency  the  Nawab  Shums-ud- 
Dawlah  Shums-ul-Moolk. 

An  hour  or  so  later  His  Excellency  the  Nawab 
approaches,  followed  closely  by  his  bodyguard  armed 
with  many  knives,  swords,  and  daggers  of  various 
native  device.  The  Nawab  is  a short,  somewhat 
corpulent,  elderly  gentleman,  with  gray  hair,  kind, 
intelligent  eyes  and  a face  with  very  few  lines,  but 
which  you  would  judge  to  be  the  face  of  one  pos- 
sessed of  much  true  refinement  and  strength  of 
character.  He  is  dressed  in  pure  white  garments, 
including  a small  piigrah.  His  feet  are  bare,  but 
as  he  crosses  the  lawn  he  wears  sandals,  which  he 
will  drop  from  his  feet  before  he  steps  upon  the 
veranda  of  his  European  palace. 

After  a very  kind  and  somewhat  flattering  greet- 
ing his  excellency  describes  the  many  painful  symp- 
toms of  his  favorite  wife’s  very  serious  and  com- 
plicated diseases,  and  declares  that  she  is  so  dear  to 
him  that  he  would  gladly  spend  all  his  fortune  for 
the  sake  of  seeing  her  fully  restored  to  health.  He 
would  willingly  feed  her  upon  diamonds,  rubies,  and 
pearls  if  he  were  sure  that  such  a diet  would  prove 


His  Excellency  Nawab  Khurshed  Jah,  of  Hyderabad,  Deccan 
In  His  Royal  Dress 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES 


119 


beneficial.  I assure  him  that  these  precious  jewels, 
though  beautiful  to  look  upon,  and  great  in  their 
intrinsic  value,  are  yet  quite  worthless  as  articles 
of  diet,  and  could  afford  his  wife  no  nourishment. 
After  dwelling  at  some  length  upon  the  exact  physi- 
cal and  mental  condition,  past  history,  and  present 
symptoms  of  his  wife,  he  invites  us  to  visit  her  in 
her  zenana  palace.  In  order  to  do  this  we  must 
pass  through  several  lawns,  gardens,  alleys  between 
high  walls,  courtyards,  and  gateways,  the  latter  be- 
ing  guarded  by  armed  soldiers. 

At  length  we  come  to  a small,  low  gate  in  a great 
wall.  This  gate  is  guarded  by  women.  As  we 
halt  here  the  bodyguard  of  his  excellency  the 
Nawab  quietly  retires,  and  we  are  left  alone  with 
the  Nawab  and  the  women  in  front  of  the  little  gate. 
The  Nawab  now  fumbles  among  the  folds  of  his 
white  garments,  and  presently  produces  a huge  brass 
key,  with  which  he  unlocks  the  immense  brass  pad- 
lock by  means  of  which  this  small  gate  is  made  fast. 
The  gate  swings  open,  and  the  Nawab  invites  me  to 
pass  through.  In  order  to  do  this  I must  step  up 
and  bow  down — almost  crawling  through  this  hole 
in  the  wall,  as  it  really  is.  My  interpreter  crawls 
through  after  me,  and  the  Nawab  himself  follows. 
The  Nawab  now  closes  this  little  gate,  and  fastens 
it  on  the  inner  side  with  the  same  great  brass  pad- 
lock and  brass  key  which  were  used  on  the  outside  ; 
and  thus  we  stand,  prisoners,  within  one  of  the 
zenana  homes  of  this  native  prince. 

Looking  about  we  see  that  we  are  in  a somewhat 


120 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


large  courtyard — possibly  one  hundred  by  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  in  size.  The  walls  surrounding 
us  are  very  lofty,  so  that  it  would  be  impossible  for 
any  man  to  scale  them.  They  are  stone  or  brick,  I 
do  not  know  which,  plastered  over  with  mud. 

At  the  end  near  where  we  entered  there  are 
several  small  rooms,  which  are  evidently  occupied 
by  the  women-servants  who  throng  the  place.  The 
two  long  sides  have  opening  into  them  many  great 
doors,  like  old-fashioned  barn  doors,  which  are 
fastened  at  the  top  with  huge  padlocks — all  of  them 
being  now  closed  and  locked.  Each  of  these  doors, 
as  I learned  afterward,  opens  into  a tiny  dark  room 
of  about  ten  or  twelve  feet  square,  having  no  win- 
dows and  no  furniture  of  any  kind.  The  floor, 
walls,  and  ceiling  are  plastered  over  with  mud. 
Each  particular  one  of  these  rooms  belongs  to  some 
one  or  more  of  the  Nawab’s  one  hundred  concu- 
bines, who  reside  within  this  enclosure. 

The  space  between  the  walls — the  open  court — is 
very  much  littered.  It  has  no  grass  on  the  dusty 
ground,  which  is  rough  and  irregular.  In  the  cen- 
ter there  is  the  relic  of  what  must  have  been  at  one 
time  a fountain,  but  it  has  long  since  fallen  into 
disuse,  and  is  now  only  a wreck.  In  one  corner 
may  be  seen  the  skeleton  of  an  old  tree.  At  the 
further  end  of  this  inclosure  there  is  a deep  veranda 
— so  deep  that  it  requires  many  pillars  here  and 
there  underneath,  at  short  intervals,  to  support  the 
roof.  The  floor  of  the  veranda  is  covered  with  a 
grass  matting,  woven  by  hand  from  reed  grass. 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES  121 


The  whole  veranda  seems  thronging  with  women- 
folk— old  and  young,  handsome  and  plain,  large 
and  small,  strong  and  decrepit — one  hundred  and 
one,  all  counted.  We  cross  the  open  courtyard  and 
approach  the  veranda.  The  Nawab  drops  his 
sandals  from  his  feet,  and  steps  upon  the  matted 
floor  of  the  veranda.  My  interpreter,  who  wears 
European  dress,  sits  down  and  removes  her  shoes 
and  stockings  from  her  feet,  intimating  to  me  that 
I am  expected  to  do  the  same.  I hesitate,  and  my 
interpreter  explains  to  the  Nawab  that  I never  go 
with  bare  feet  in  any  home,  whereupon  he  courte- 
ously requests  me  to  allow  my  shoes  and  stockings 
to  remain  upon  my  feet,  which  I am  glad  to  do. 

The  Nawab  now  takes  us  to  the  center  of  the 
veranda,  where,  sitting  with  crossed  legs  upon  the 
floor,  we  find  the  little  “ Mad  Begam.”  Begam  is 
a title  and  means  princess,  or  the  wife  of  a prince 
or  nawab.  The  one  hundred  concubines  stand 
about  in  respectful  silence ; they  never  sit  in  the 
presence  of  the  Nawab.  The  little  princess  on  the 
floor  is  introduced  by  the  Nawab,  and  I take  her 
hand  in  American  fashion.  The  Nawab  now  seats 
himself  on  the  floor  by  her  side,  and  invites  my  in- 
terpreter and  myself  to  do  the  same  ; but,  observing 
a hesitancy  on  my  part,  the  Nawab  immediately 
arises,  orders  a chair  to  be  brought,  and  stands 
until  it  comes ; this  through  respect  for  me.  After 
much  hurrying  to  and  fro,  and  much  vain  search- 
ing, the  little  gate  having  been  opened  and  a 
servant  sent  elsewhere  in  search  of  a chair,  an  old, 


122 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


broken  kitchen  chair  is  finally  brought  from  some- 
where. It  then  apparently  occurs  to  the  Nawab 
that  it  is  not  courteous  for  him  to  sit  upon  the  floor 
while  I occupy  a chair;  and,  therefore,  he  com- 
mands that  a second  chair  be  brought.  After 
another  delay  of  equal  length  and  confusion  an- 
other chair  is  finally  produced,  and  we  sit  down 
comfortably  near  the  little  Begam ; the  Nawab, 
however,  drawing  his  feet  up  and  sitting  with  his 
legs  crossed  in  native  style,  as  he  would  do  upon 
the  floor. 


HER  EXCELLENCY  THE  BEGAM  SAHIB 

The  “ Mad  Begam,”  as  she  is  familiarly  called 
by  the  Nawab’s  almost  numberless  servants,  per- 
sonal attendants,  concubines  and  wives,  is  a short, 
somewhat  stout  little  woman  of  about  forty.  She  is 
not  a pretty  woman,  but  has,  nevertheless,  a very 
attractive  face  and  evidently  a strong  personality. 
Her  wealth  of  long  black  hair,  fine  as  silk,  hangs  in 
two  straight  braids  down  her  back,  nearly  reaching 
the  floor  as  she  sits.  Her  great  brown  eyes  are  full 
of  a strange,  hopeless  sadness  and  longing.  Her 
countenance  rarely  changes  in  its  expression,  which 
is  that  of  settled,  hopeless  melancholy.  She  is  not 
originally  a high-caste  woman,  nor  has  she  always 
been  a princess,  nor  always  lived  in  a wealthy  fam- 
ily, nor  has  she  always  been  confined  in  a zenana 
home.  She  is  a woman  of  low  caste  by  birth,  and 
of  poor  parentage.  In  her  childhood  she  was  a serv- 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES  123 


ant  to  one  of  the  Nawab’s  chief  legal  wives,  and  he 
fell  in  love  with  the  little  low-caste  servant  girl,  who, 
in  those  days,  was  allowed  to  run  out  and  in  freely 
and  without  constraint.  He  then  took  her  to  be  his 
wife — to  be,  indeed,  one  of  his  four  chief  wives ; for 
every  Mohammedan  is  allowed  to  have  four,  each  of 
whom  is  supposed  to  be  a proper  and  legal  wife.  He 
may  have  many  concubines  also.  Of  course,  when 
this  little  servant  girl  was  exalted  to  the  position  of 
a princess,  the  chief  wife  of  a Mohammedan  prince, 
she  was  then  doomed  to  close  seclusion  and  confine- 
ment of  the  strictest  kind  in  a zenana  home.  The 
first  wife,  who  was  this  little  girl’s  mistress  in  the 
beginning,  became  madly  jealous,  and  soon  there- 
after died,  it  is  said,  of  a broken  heart. 

I have  a talk  with  my  little  patient,  the  “Mad 
Begam,”  and  she  seems  to  grow  more  and  more 
interested  in  what  I have  to  say,  asking  many  ques- 
tions. When  I sing,  however,  she  weeps  much  and 
finally  begs  me  to  desist,  declaring  that  she  cannot 
endure  it;  and  this  notwithstanding  the  fact  that 
she  cannot  understand  a word  of  the  song,  which  is 
in  my  own  English  tongue. 


ANOTHER  STRANGE  MEDICAL  CON- 
SULTATION 

After  making  a very  careful  and  thorough  ex- 
amination of  my  little  patient  I explain  to  the  Nawab 
that  his  wife  has  no  organic  disease ; that  her  heart, 
lungs,  liver,  and  all  the  organs  of  her  body  are  quite 


124 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


sound ; that  the  distressing  symptoms  which  he  has 
observed  are  of  purely  nervous  origin  and  are  the 
result  of  her  manner  of  living— seclusion,  lack  of 
exercise,  monotony,  want  of  fresh  air  and  sunshine, 
etc.  The  Nawab  declares  that  we  must  have  a con- 
sultation at  once;  and  he  immediately  sends  a serv- 
ant to  call  the  six  native  physicians  who  are  in  his 
constant  and  exclusive  employ.  These  men  have 
been  educated  in  England,  are  thoroughly  qualified, 
and  are  his  family  physicians,  receiving  from  him  a 
handsome  yearly  salary.  They  come  immediately, 
in  answer  to  his  summons,  and  wait  outside  of  the 
little  gate  until  he  shall  be  ready  to  admit  them. 

Ninety-six  of  the  one  hundred  concubines  now 
flee  away,  each  of  them  hiding  herself  in  the  par- 
ticular little  dark  padlocked  room  which  she  claims 
as  her  own,  or  perhaps  shares  with  another.  The 
remaining  four  of  the  concubines  bring  four  im- 
mense rugs,  and  each  of  the  four  takes  hold  of  one 
corner  of  two  rugs,  standing  around  the  little  patient 
in  such  a manner,  holding  the  rugs  above  their 
heads,  as  to  conceal  entirely  from  outside  view  not 
only  the  little  patient  who  sits  in  the  center  between 
them  on  the  floor,  but  also  their  own  persons. 

When  these  preliminary  arrangements  are  satis- 
factorily adjusted  the  Nawab  admits  the  six  native 
family  physicians  through  the  little  padlocked  gate 
into  the  zenana  courtyard ; and  they  all  cross  over  to 
the  veranda,  drop  their  sandals,  and  come  and  take 
their  seats  on  the  floor  near  my  chair.  I then  kneel 
down  on  the  floor,  just  outside  of  the  hanging  rugs, 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES 


125 


put  my  hand  under  the  lower  margin,  and  cover- 
ing the  tiny  hand  of  my  little  patient  with  my  own 
large  palm,  I draw  her  wee  wrist  to  the  edge  and 
place  the  finger  of  the  doctors,  each  in  turn,  on  the 
pulse  of  my  patient,  until  all  have  an  opportunity  to 
count  the  pulsation  for  themselves,  and  this  with- 
out seeing  any  part  of  the  Begam’s  person. 

The  native  of  India  takes  it  for  granted  that 
physicians  are  so  clever  and  so  skillful  in  the  prac- 
tice of  their  profession  that  they  are  able  to  know 
and  understand  the  exact  condition  of  the  brain, 
heart,  lungs,  spleen,  liver,  and  every  other  organ  of 
the  body  by  the  simple  heart-throb  as  felt  at  the 
wrist.  Fortunately,  however,  for  the  doctors  in  this 
consultation,  I had  been  able  to  make  a more  thor- 
ough examination,  and  could  tell  them  the  real  con- 
dition, as  I had  found  it  by  a minute,  careful,  and 
thorough  search.  When  I had  given  this  full  ex- 
planation we  all  agreed  in  our  diagnosis  and  pro- 
nounced the  disease  hysteria.  This  was  not  so 
difficult  a matter  as  the  selection  of  appropriate  and 
acceptable  remedies  proved  to  be. 

I had  brought  with  me  from  Bombay  my  little 
medicine  bag,  containing  a variety  of  useful  drugs. 
On  this  occasion,  however,  I found  it  quite  useless. 
His  Excellency  the  Nawab  Khurshed  Jah  would  not, 
under  any  consideration,  use  one  particle  of  medi- 
cine from  my  bag.  It  had  been  compounded  by 
Christian  hands  and  contaminated  by  Christian 
handling,  and  would  therefore  break  the  caste  of  his 
wife  and  family.  He  had  a huge  medicine  chest  of 


126 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


his  own,  which  was  now  wheeled  out  from  one  of 
the  dark  rooms  adjoining  this  veranda.  We  find 
that  this  medicine  chest  contains  almost  every  phar- 
maceutical preparation  and  remedial  agent  named  in 
the  British  Pharmacopoeia. 

I suggest  a simple,  efficient  remedy,  which  I think 
will  meet  the  case  and  allay  the  most  distressing 
nervous  symptoms.  The  Nawab  immediately  de- 
clares that  he  knows  the  drug,  he  has  tried  it,  and  it  is 
of  no  avail.  I suggest  another  remedy,  and  another, 
and  another,  with  the  same  result.  Indeed  I soon  find 
that  the  Nawab  is  well  acquainted  with  almost  every 
drug  contained  in  his  medicine  chest,  and  that  they 
have  all  been  tried  and  proven  valueless,  at  least  in 
this  particular  case.  I then  suggest  a combination 
of  drugs  which,  fortunately,  has  never  been  tried. 
This  the  native  physicians  in  consultation  all  in- 
dorse, and  the  Nawab  agrees  to  give  it  a trial.  Of 
course  I must  compound  the  medicine,  as  I have  been 
called  all  the  way  from  Bombay  to  attend  this  par- 
ticular case.  The  medicine  is  therefore  prepared 
by  my  hand,  under  the  immediate  eye  of  the  Nawab 
and  his  six  doctors ; each  of  whom  watches  me  with 
the  keenest  and  most  critical  eye  to  make  sure  that 
I do  not,  by  any  sleight  of  hand  or  otherwise,  intro- 
duce any  drug  of  my  own  which  I may  have  con- 
cealed about  my  person,  or  any  water  or  liquid  of 
any  kind  which  has  been  contaminated  by  the  touch 
of  a Christian  hand. 

Formerly  it  was  the  custom  in  this  home,  and  in 
all  wealthy  high-caste  native  homes,  to  prepare 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES 


127 


at  the  same  time  two  doses,  exactly  alike,  one  of 
which  was  to  be  first  taken  by  the  doctor  in  attend- 
ance. Then,  after  a period  of  two  hours  or  such  a 
matter,  if  no  ominous  symptoms  manifested  them- 
selves, the  remaining  dose  was  administered  to  the 
patient.  Before  my  time,  fortunately  for  me,  this 
custom  had  been  objected  to  by  some  attending 
physician,  and,  as  a result,  two  of  the  concubines 
had  been  condemned  to  take  the  trial  dose.  There- 
fore on  this  occasion  I was  instructed  to  compound 
three  powders  instead  of  one.  We  had  decided  upon 
powders,  because  any  liquid  which  has  been  touched 
by  Christians  or  by  any  person  of  low  caste  can  never 
be  allowed  to  pass  the  lips  of  a high-caste  native. 
Even  a pill  must  have  some  liquid  “ sticking  stuff  ” 
to  hold  it  together,  and  therefore,  under  the  circum- 
stances, a powder  was  the  only  remedy  that  could 
be  administered.  Three  powders  I make,  weighing 
and  dividing  and  mixing  each  in  precisely  the  same 
manner,  and  in  the  same  proportions.  This  done, 
the  six  native  doctors  are  allowed  to  withdraw ; they 
pass  out  through  the  little  gate,  and  we  are  again 
locked  in.  Now  the  rugs  are  dropped  and  two  of 
the  concubines  come  forward  to  receive  one  each  of 
the  powders.  This  they  do  without  any  apparent 
trepidation.  I must  now  wait  two  hours  at  least  to 
watch  the  result  of  these  doses.  At  the  expiration 
of  this  time,  as  no  dire  symptoms  manifest  them- 
selves, with  great  fear  and  trepidation  the  Nawab 
permits  me  to  administer  the  remaining  powder  to 
his  favorite  wife,  the  “ Mad  Begam.”  After  this  I 


128 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


must,  of  course, remain  for  several  hours  to  watch  the 
result.  During  this  season  of  waiting  and  watching 
the  Nawab  frequently  interrogates  his  wife  as  to  her 
feelings.  At  length  he  becomes  much  agitated,  be- 
gins to  wring  his  hands,  paces  the  floor  in  great  agi- 
tation, weeps,  counts  his  beads  in  prayer,  falls  on 
his  face  in  an  agony  of  anxiety  and  distress;  and, 
finally,  coming  to  me,  he  implores  me  to  do  some- 
thing for  the  relief  of  his  dear  wife.  He  is  sure  she 
must  be  suffering.  He  can  tell,  by  the  sad  cast  of 
her  countenance,  that  she  is  ill  and  in  pain. 

I am  still  somewhat  of  a stranger  in  India ; and 
not  being  well  acquainted  with  the  ways  and  meth- 
ods and  characteristics  of  the  natives,  I believe  this 
man  to  be  entirely  sincere  and  honest,  and  greatly 
alarmed,  and  so  I assure  him  that  there  is  no  or- 
ganic disease  upon  his  wife ; that  she  is  not  in  any 
sense  seriously  ill ; that  the  nervous  trouble  from 
which  she  suffers  is  due  purely  and  solely  to  her 
secluded,  inactive,  monotonous  life;  that  she  may 
suffer  in  this  way  for  many,  many  years,  but  that 
she  can  never  die  from  this  disease.  To  my  great 
astonishment  His  Excellency  the  Nawab  does  not 
appear  to  be  relieved  in  the  least  degree.  He  weeps 
the  more,  wringing  his  hands,  pacing  the  floor, 
prostrating  himself  on  the  ground,  and  groaning 
aloud.  Finally  he  comes  to  me  again  and  declares 
that  we  must  have  another  consultation.  The  cere- 
monies above  described  are  gone  through  with  again, 
and  again,  and  again.  I remain  in  Hyderabad  for  two 
weeks.  During  this  time  I meet  the  six  native 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES 


129 


doctors  in  consultation  several  times  each  day,  al- 
ways in  precisely  the  same  manner  and  always 
with  precisely  the  same  result. 

The  little  “Mad  Begam  Sahib”  proved  to  be  a 
very  gentle,  sweet,  attractive  little  woman,  possess- 
ing much  real  strength  of  character,  and  my  sym- 
pathies were  all  with  her.  Who  could  blame  her 
if,  amid  such  surroundings,  she  had  grown  restive, 
fanciful,  morose,  irritable,  jealous,  ill-tempered 
even,  and  hysterical  ? The  wonder  grew  upon  me 
that  she  did  not  under  such  circumstances  go  rav- 
ing crazy  mad,  as  you  and  I would  surely  do  if  im- 
prisoned, idle,  helpless,  and  in  all  respects  in  her 
situation.  The  fact  is  she  was  not  “ mad.”  Her 
reason  had  never  forsaken  her  nor  her  mind  lost  its 
equilibrium  in  any  degree.  She  was  only  nervous, 
irritable,  jealous,  and  hysterical — unhappy,  as  all 
zenana  women  must  be. 

From  morning  until  night,  through  all  the  days, 
weeks,  months,  and  years  of  her  life  she  is  expected 
to  sit  quietly  upon  this  veranda,  without  any  occu- 
pation whatever.  As  intimated  on  foregoing  pages, 
she  cannot  read  nor  write,  sew,  knit,  weave,  nor  en- 
gage in  any  domestic  occupation  whatever.  She  is 
not  permitted  to  bathe  her  own  person  nor  dress  her 
own  hair  nor  make  her  own  toilet.  Has  she  not  a 
hundred  slave  girls  to  do  her  bidding?  They  per- 
form every  service  that  she  requires  and  wait  upon 
her  continually ; she  may  only  take  the  curry  and 
rice,  which  is  her  sole  diet,  in  her  fingers  from  the 
brass  plate  to  her  mouth.  She  has  no  toys  to  oc- 


130 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


cupy  her  attention,  no  games  with  which  to  amuse 
herself  and  those  about  her,  no  pictures  to  look 
upon. 

At  one  time,  as  the  Nawab  himself  informed  me, 
he  conceived  the  idea  of  erecting  an  art  gallery  for 
the  amusement  of  his  wives  and  concubines.  This 
he  did.  The  great  picture  hall  was  lighted  from 
above  of  necessity,  as  it  must  be  a zenana  place. 
He  sent  to  England  for  portraits  of  the  royal  family 
and  many  other  distinguished  personages,  and  gath- 
ered from  many  sources  portraits  of  eminent  indi- 
viduals, until  he  had  a large  collection,  enough  to 
cover  the  walls  of  his  art  gallery.  When  all  things 
were  ready  he  invited  his  wives  to  visit  his  new  art 
gallery.  They  did  so;  but  as  soon  as  they  beheld 
the  faces  of  men  and  women  hanging  upon  the 
walls,  having  never  before  seen  a picture,  they  took 
fright  and  fled  away  in  alarm,  imagining  that  they 
had  seen  ghosts  and  that  these  pictures  must  surely 
be  able  to  speak,  to  grasp,  and  to  pursue.  Never 
again  could  the  Nawab  persuade  any  of  his  wives 
to  return  to  the  “ haunted  hall.” 


THE  NAWAB’S  SIX  PALACES 

Ostensibly  and  professedly  I had  been  called  from 
Bombay  to  Hyderabad  for  the  express  and  sole  pur- 
pose of  attending  upon  and  treating  this  favorite 
wife  of  His  Excellency  the  Nawab.  In  truth,  how- 
ever, I did  attend  other  members  of  the  Nawab's 
great  family. 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES 


131 


In  the  late  evening,  unattended  by  his  bodyguard 
of  nine  men,  without  the  knowledge  of  any  of  his 
personal  attendants,  without  the  knowledge  of 
his  favorite  wife  or  of  any  of  the  one  hundred  con- 
cubines that  serve  her  in  the  capacity  of  slaves, 
without  the  knowledge  of  any  individual,  save 
that  of  my  interpreter  and  myself,  I was  conducted 
by  the  Nawab,  quietly  and  stealthily,  to  visit  his 
three  other  chief  wives  in  his  three  other  zenana 
palaces. 

I found  each  of  these  zenana  palaces  precisely 
like  the  one  I first  visited,  and  which  I have  de- 
scribed, where  his  favorite  wife  resides.  I found 
each  one  of  these  three  chief  wives  surrounded  by 
one  hundred  slave  girls,  who  are  the  Nawab’s  con- 
cubines; so  that  His  Excellency  the  Nawab  Khur- 
shed  Jah  has  no  less  than  four  principal  legal  wives 
and  four  hundred  lesser  wives  or  concubines,  each 
one  of  the  four  chief  wives  being  attended  upon 
and  surrounded  by  one  hundred  of  the  lesser 
wives  or  concubines,  who  serve  her  as  slaves  in 
a zenana  palace  of  her  own  like  the  one  first  de- 
scribed. 

These  other  three  wives,  however,  treated  the 
Nawab  with  greater  respect,  apparently,  than  did 
his  favorite  wife,  the  “ Mad  Begam.”  None  of  the 
three  ever  sat  down  in  his  presence,  though  two  of 
them  were  really  ill  and  not  properly  able  to  sit  up 
at  all.  To  these  three  wives  I was  permitted  to  ad- 
minister my  own  medicine  from  my  own  medicine 
bag  and  without  consultation  or  ceremony  of  any 


132 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


kind.  I was,  however,  instructed  to  maintain  ab- 
solute secrecy  in  regard  to  these  visits,  and  to  re- 
gard the  whole  matter  as  strictly  confidential. 

In  addition  to  the  four  zenana  palaces  and  the 
European  palace  already  described,  His  Excellency 
Nawab  Khurshed  Jah  has  a private  palace  of  his 
own,  where  he  delights  to  entertain  his  English, 
European,  and  American  guests.  We  had  the 
pleasure  of  visiting  this  palace  also.  It  is  furnished 
in  a more  elaborate  style  and  more  gorgeously  than 
the  European  palace ; but  it  is  not  in  itself  so  large 
as  the  former  nor  has  it  so  many  rooms. 

In  addition  to  the  gorgeously  upholstered  furni- 
ture, chandeliers,  huge  mirrors,  etc.,  the  Nawab’s 
private  palace  contains  many  curious  articles  which 
in  themselves  are  interesting  specimens  of  the  lavish 
and  unparalleled  extravagance  of  a wealthy  na- 
tive of  India.  To  illustrate,  a clock  in  the 

Nawab’s  palace,  reaching  from  the  floor  to  the 
ceiling  and  studded  with  jewels,  cost  him,  as  the 
Nawab  himself  assured  me,  several  lakhs  of  ru- 
pees. He  also  showed  me  music  boxes  brought 
from  England  which  cost  him  fabulous  sums  of 
money. 

Altogether  we  visited  six  palaces  within  the  great 
walls  which  surround  the  Nawab’s  estate — our 
zenana  palaces,  the  European  palace,  and  the 
Nawab’s  private  palace,  where  he  entertains  his 
foreign  guests,  the  two  latter  being  surrounded  by 
beautiful  lawns  containing  rare  trees,  plants,  and 
fountains. 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES  133 


A DIET  OF  COSTLY  GEMS 

At  the  expiration  of  our  two  weeks’  stay  in  Hy- 
derabad the  Nawab  paid  me  the  professional  fee 
agreed  upon  and  begged  me  to  close  my  hospital  in 
Bombay,  settle  my  business  there,  and  arrange  to 
remain  in  Hyderabad  as  family  physician  to  his 
household.  He  offered  me  a salary  of  one  thousand 
rupees  per  month,  together  with  the  exclusive  use 
of  his  European  palace  free  of  rental,  and  all  its 
staff  of  servants  to  be  paid  by  himself.  I declined 
his  offer,  because  I loved  the  work  for  the  poor 
which  I was  doing  in  Bombay  and  because  I love 
medicine.  Everything  in  connection  with  the 
practice  of  my  profession  is  a pure  delight  to  me. 
I could  not  feel  willing  to  spend  my  life  in  the 
manner  in  which  I had  spent  the  last  two  weeks. 
I was  not  willing  to  act  a farce,  nor  to  make  the 
practice  of  my  loved  profession  a mere  play,  and  so 
I returned  to  my  home,  to  my  hospital,  and  to  my 
charity  practice  in  Bombay. 

Later  on,  when  the  Nawab  visited  Bombay,  I met 
several  of  the  native  doctors  in  his  employ  whom  I 
had  met  in  consultation  during  my  visit  to  Hyder- 
abad. One  of  them  informed  me  that  after  my 
departure  from  Hyderabad  the  Nawab  had  called  a 
native  doctor  from  a distant  city,  to  whom  he  made 
the  same  remark  in  regard  to  feeding  his  favorite 
Begam  upon  jewels  which  I had  heard  from  him. 
This  native  doctor  replied  that  he  was  delighted  to 
hear  the  Nawab  express  himself  thus,  as  pulverized 


134 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


gems  was  just  the  remedy  that  would  surely  avail 
to  cure  her  disease.  He  had  feared  to  advise  such 
a course  of  diet  an  account  of  the  enormous  expense 
which  it  would  involve,  but  if  his  excellency  were 
really  willing  to  expend  so  much  money  for  the  sake 
of  restoring  his  wife’s  health,  her  recovery  would 
be  certain.  When  the  Nawab  assured  the  physician 
of  his  willingness  to  do  this  the  doctor  immediately 
returned  to  the  distant  city  and  procured  a machine 
for  grinding  diamonds,  rubies,  and  pearls.  Upon 
his  return  to  Hyderabad  the  jewels  were  dropped 
into  a little  opening  in  the  top  of  this  machine ; a 
crank  was  then  turned  and  grinding  ensued. 
Presently  a shining  powder  was  emitted  from  a 
certain  troughlike  exit,  and  this  shining  powder 
was  divided  into  doses  and  administered  to  the 
favorite  Begam  at  specified  intervals. 

Doubtless  the  diamonds,  rubies,  and  pearls 
dropped  straight  into  the  pocket  of  the  native 
doctor,  and,  most  probably,  the  Nawab  suspected 
the  truth,  for  he  was  too  much  of  a native  himself 
not  to  see  through  such  a deception ; but  for  the 
sake  of  deceiving  his  wife,  for  the  sake  of  making 
her  believe  that  he  was  wasting  his  fortune  upon 
her  because  she,  and  she  only,  was  the  one  woman 
who  held  his  heart’s  best  affection,  therefore  he 
was  willing  to  seem  to  be  deceived  himself  and  go 
to  the  enormous  expense  necessarily  involved. 

During  this  same  visit  of  the  Nawab  Khurshed 
Jah  to  Bombay  I received  from  him  a box  of  Hy- 
derabad weapons,  together  with  a brief  note,  bear- 


IN  THE  ZENANAHOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES 


135 


ing  the  Nawab’s  coat  of  arms  and  his  own  signature, 
in  the  Hindustani  language. 

(An  exact  copy  of  original  letter.) 

Mahalusumri  Station,  21st  February,  1888. 

To  Dr.  Armstrong,  M.D.,  Khartwodi. 

Dear  Madam  : Once,  while  you  were  in  Hyderabad,  I remem- 
ber, you  expressed  a desire  for  some  of  the  Hyderabad  weapons, 
so  I have  send  for  some  of  the  arms  from  Hyderabad  for  you, 
which  I send  herewith  per  bearer.  I hope  you  will  like  them. 
Hoping  you  are  in  the  enjoyment  of  good  health, 

Yours  sincerely, 

Khurshed  Jah. 


HIS  EXCELLENCY  DEW  AN  LUCHMAN  DASS, 
EX-PRIME  MINISTER  OF  KASHMIR 

On  the  sixth  day  of  December,  1889,  I received 
a telegram  from  His  Excellency  Dewan  Luchman 
Dass,  ex-Prime  Minister  of  Kashmir,  calling  me  to 
the  native  town  of  Eminabad  to  attend  upon  his 
two  wives,  Dalie  and  Molie  Luchman  Dass. 

A run  of  two  hours  by  rail  from  Lahore,  Punjab, 
brings  me  to  the  small  railroad  station  of  Kamoki. 
Here  two  of  the  Dewan’s  English  menservants — 
Air.  Gerard,  the  Dewan’s  private  secretary,  and  Mr. 
Bowden,  his  horse  trainer — meet  me,  and  I am 
driven  in  a fine,  large  English  carriage,  drawn  by 
two  thoroughbred  English  horses,  to  Eminabad, 
where  the  Dewan  resides  in  the  great  old  zenana 
home  built  by  his  father  in  the  prime  of  his  life 
and  during  the  years  of  his  greatest  prosperity. 


136 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


Passing  two  or  more  small  native  villages,  we  at 
length  approach  a high  stone  wall  surrounding  the 
Dewan’s  gardens.  Driving  along  on  the  outside  of 
this  wall,  we  at  length  enter  a road  passing  down 
between  two  very  lofty  stone  walls,  and  presently 
alight  in  front  of  a massive  gateway  opening  through 
one  of  these  walls.  This  gate  is  always  securely 
locked  and  bolted  on  the  inner  side. 

Here  His  Excellency  the  Dewan  himself  meets 
us,  dressed  in  a handsome  costume  which  is  neither 
purely  native  nor  purely  English,  but  really  is  a 
native  costume  modified  to  suit  English  style. 

The  Dewan  is  a large  man,  nearly  six  feet  in 
height  and  somewhat  corpulent,  but  exceptionally 
fine  looking  and  prepossessing  in  appearance,  and 
his  native  European  costume  becomes  him  well. 
He  is  a high-caste  Hindu,  is  well  educated,  both  in 
his  own  and  in  the  English  language,  and  is  very 
clever.  Indeed,  he  is  recognized  as  the  most  clever 
and  efficient  prime  minister  Kashmir  has  ever 
known.  His  father  was  immensely  wealthy,  but 
he  left  his  property  to  his  widow,  the  Dewan’s 
mother,  who  still  lives  in  the  old  home  near  her 
son.  The  Dewan  is  a great  spendthrift,  getting 
through  several  lakhs  (hundred  thousand)  of  rupees 
in  a single  year.  Now,  however,  that  he  has  spent 
the  larger  part  of  his  own  personal  fortune,  he  is 
largely  dependent  upon  his  widowed  mother  for 
support,  and  she  wisely  and  with  a jealous  hand 
metes  out  to  him  a certain  monthly  allowance. 

The  Dewan,  on  this  occasion  of  my  first  visit,  re- 


His  Excellency  Dewan  Luchman  Dass,  ex-Prime  Minister  of  Kashmir,  and  his  Daughter 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES  139 


ceives  me  with  that  courteous  hospitality,  cordial 
warmth,  and  respectful  politeness  which  is  a char- 
acteristic of  the  wealthy  high-caste  native  gentle- 
man. This  formality  over,  we  alight  from  the  car- 
riage and  crawl  through  a small  square  gate  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  great  gate,  which  remains  locked 
and  bolted.  This  tiny  gate  is  again  locked  behind 
us,  and  we  find  ourselves  in  a rather  small  and 
much-littered  courtyard.  Crossing  to  the  opposite 
side,  we  come  upon  an  immense  veranda  leading  by 
several  doors  into  a great  hall  capable  of  accommo- 
dating several  hundred  people.  Here  we  meet  Mrs. 
Gerard  and  other  members  of  the  Gerard  family. 
Presently  the  Dewan  conducts  my  interpreter  and 
myself  up  several  flights  of  stairs,  each  of  which  is 
extremely  narrow,  steep,  broken,  and  irregular. 
Passing  through  several  halls  and  narrow  passages, 
we  finally  emerge  into  a lighter  place,  and  find  our- 
selves in  a very  large,  deep  veranda,  projecting 
from  the  third  or  fourth  story  of  this  immense 
building,  and  entirely  surrounding  the  four  sides 
of  the  square  courtyard  which  is  in  the  center  of  the 
building.  Walking  around  this  veranda,  we  are 
finally  conducted  through  several  small,  rather  dark 
rooms,  each  of  which  is  nearly  empty,  and  at  length 
we  are  ushered  into  a rather  pleasant  apartment 
about  twelve  by  twenty  feet  in  size.  Like  all  the 
rooms  we  have  seen  in  this  great  Hindu  castle,  the 
walls  and  ceiling  are  entirely  covered  with  gaudy 
paintings  representing  hideous  Hindu  deities. 
There  are  several  chairs  in  this  room,  and  a native 


140 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


cot,  upon  which  is  a pure  silk  down  comfortable  and 
a cashmeri  shawl  of  immense  size  and  fabulous  cost. 
Every  four  or  five  feet  around  there  are  small 
square  niches  in  the  wall,  forming  shelves.  Upon 
several  of  these  shelves  may  be  seen  very  exquisite 
little  English  clocks,  ornamented  with  costly  gems ; 
and  the  whole  apartment  is  littered  with  a large  va- 
riety of  rare  and  costly  English  articles — real  sole- 
leather  trunks  of  the  most  expensive  kind,  real  alli- 
gator traveling  bags,  music  boxes,  and  costly  guns, 
revolvers,  etc. 


THE  WIVES  AND  DAUGHTER  OF  DEW  AN 
LUCHMAN  DASS 

In  this  Indo-European  room  we  find  the  two  na- 
tive wives  of  the  Dewan,  Dalie  and  Molie,  in  their 
beautiful  and  graceful  pure  silk  Punjabi  costumes, 
and  adorned  with  almost  numberless  pure  Indian 
gold  (said  to  be  the  finest  and  most  valuable  gold 
in  the  world)  rings,  bracelets,  necklaces,  anklets,  toe 
rings,  and  hair  ornaments — all  studded  with  costly 
gems  of  many  kinds,  and  almost  priceless  in  value. 

The  Dewan’s  first  wife  died  some  years  ago. 
Dalie  is  his  second  wife.  She  is  a Mohammedan, 
although  the  Dewan  himself  is  a high-caste  Hindu. 
Of  course  he  broke  his  caste  in  marrying  a Moham- 
medan woman,  but  being  a very  wealthy  man,  with 
influence,  title,  and  position,  this  fact  is  ignored  by 
his  people,  and  he  continues  to  occupy  a position  at 
the  head  of  his  caste. 


Mrs.  Molie  Luchman  Dass  in  her  Kashmeri  Costume  Mrs.  Dalie  Luchman  Dass  in  her  Punjabi  Costume 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES 


143 


Dalie,  however,  does  not  eat  at  the  same  table 
with  her  husband,  nor  touch  his  food,  nor  touch 
him  while  he  is  eating,  nor  touch  any  vessel  from 
which  he  may  ever  take  food.  She  sits  apart  by 
herself  during  meals,  but  near  enough  to  her  hus- 
band to  be  able  to  carry  on  conversation  with  him. 
She  is  the  favorite  wife,  and  her  marriage  was  a 
love  match. 

Dalie  is  an  attractive  little  woman,  about  five  feet 
two  inches  in  height,  and  weighing  about  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  pounds.  She  has  a clear  olive  skin, 
large  black  eyes,  long  shining  black  hair,  and 
beautiful  hands.  Her  countenance  is  not,  perhaps, 
beautiful,  but  is  very  attractive,  intelligent,  and 
kindly  in  its  expression.  She  is  conceded  by  all  to 
be  thoroughly  unselfish,  kind-hearted,  and  patient, 
and  is  universally  beloved. 

Molie  is  the  Dewan’s  third  wife.  She  is  shorter 
and  more  slender  than  Dalie,  with  a fair  com- 
plexion and  a prettier  face,  but  not  equally  amiable. 
The  Dewan  was  married  to  Molie  in  accordance 
with  the  advice  of  the  King'  of  Kashmir  and  others 
in  authority,  because  she  is  a woman  of  his  own 
caste  and  of  wealthy  parentage,  and  in  all  respects 
deemed  to  be  a suitable  wife  for  His  Excellency  the 
Dewan. 

Blanche  Gerard  is,  in  truth  though  not  ostensi- 
bly, the  Dewan’s  fourth  wife.  Of  pure  English 
blood,  though  born  in  India,  Blanche  Gerard  Luch- 
man  Dass  is  the  daughter  of  the  Dewan’s  private 
secretary,  and  was  bought  for  a price.  She  is  a 


144 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


very  pretty  girl  in  both  form  and  feature ; graceful 
in  every  motion,  and  as  beautiful  in  spirit  and  amia- 
ble in  disposition  as  she  is  fair  of  face  and  graceful 
of  motion.  She  loves  the  Dewan  with  all  the  inten- 
sity of  her  young,  ardent  nature,  and  is  willing  to 
sacrifice  her  life,  good  name,  character,  and  even 
her  soul  for  his  sake. 

Little  Jannoo  is  the  De wan’s  only  child.  She  is 
a beautiful,  bright  girl  of  six  years,  and  the  De- 
wan’s  idol.  She  is  supposed  to  be  the  daughter  of 
Dalie,  whom  she  calls  mamma,  but  she  is,  in  fact, 
the  daughter  of  the  family  laundress,  who  has 
served  since  Jannoo’s  birth  as  her  nurse  and  serv- 
ant. Little  Jannoo  addresses  Molie  as  “ Aunt,”  or, 
in  the  native  tongue,  “ the  sister  of  my  mother;” 
while  fair  Blanche  ostensibly  holds  the  position  of 
governess  to  Jannoo. 

Such  is  the  family  of  Dewan  Luchman  Dass.  He 
has  also  many  servants,  more  than  one  hundred  in 
number.  His  possessions  are  very  great.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  immense  castle  where  he  resides,  and 
which  is  more  like  a great  town  than  a private  resi- 
dence, he  owns  in  his  own  right  some  thirty  vil- 
lages, and  all  the  land  connected  therewith  and  sur- 
rounding them  for  a distance  of  several  miles.  The 
rental  from  these  villages  amounts  to  more  than 
one  hundred  thousand  rupees  per  annum ; and  yet 
this  sum  is  not  nearly  enough  to  satisfy  the  numer- 
ous wants  of  his  excellency,  and  at  frequent  inter- 
vals he  is  obliged  to  draw  large  sums  from  his 
mother.  The  Dewan  is  considered  to  be  a great 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES  145 


spendthrift.  He  owns  many  fine  English  carriages 
of  various  styles  and  fifty  thoroughbred  English 
horses,  some  of  them  being  exceedingly  valuable 
on  account  of  their  great  speed. 


MRS.  LUCHMAN  DASS,  THE  RICH  HINDU 
WIDOW 

Mrs.  Luchivian  Dass,  the  Dewan’s  mother,  was 
at  this  time  supposed  to  be  the  richest  woman  in 
India,  if  not  the  richest  individual.  She  lives  in 
one  small  room,  like  the  one  above  described,  except 
smaller,  and  without  the  signs  of  lavish  expenditure 
for  English  luxuries  which  we  observed  in  the 
former.  This  little  room  is  also  on  the  third  or 
fourth  floor,  but  is  in  an  entirely  different  part  of 
the  great  castle.  Her  dress  consists  of  the  one  sin- 
gle coarse  garment  peculiar  to  the  high-caste  Hindu 
widow,  only  partly  concealing  her  person. 

Leading  from  this  room,  which  is  occupied  by 
Mrs.  Luchman  Dass  alone,  there  are  several  other 
small  dark  rooms,  each  of  which  is  filled  from  the 
floor  to  the  ceiling  with  pure  gold  and  silver  coin. 
The  doors  leading  to  these  rooms  are  like  great  barn 
doors,  and  are  all  fastened  at  the  top  with  great 
brass  padlocks  to  which  Mrs.  Luchman  Dass  herself 
carries  the  keys.  Also  underneath  this  great  castle 
trenches  have  been  made  in  which  great  iron  tubes 
full  of  solid  gold  and  silver  coin  are  buried.  This 
was  done  by  the  Dewan’s  father. 


146 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


The  Dewan  on  one  occasion  took  me  over  to  pay 
his  mother  a professional  visit.  She  was,  at  this 
time,  a woman  of  sixty-five  or  seventy  years  of  age, 
a bigoted  high-caste  Hindu.  At  the  time  of  her 
husband’s  death  she  fain  would  have  burned  herself 
on  his  funeral  pyre,  but  the  English  law  prohibited 
all  such  acts  of  self-destruction.  On  this  account, 
during  all  the  years  which  have  elapsed  since  her 
husband’s  death,  Mrs.  Luchman  Dass  has  daily  in- 
flicted upon  herself  all  manner  of  penance  and  pri- 
vation, in  token  of  her  fidelity  to  her  husband.  She 
wears  no  ornaments  of  any  kind,  her  hair  is  cut 
short,  she  takes  but  one  scant  and  insufficient  meal 
a day,  and  she  inflicts  upon  herself  many  other 
tortures  which  I am  unable  here  to  describe.  She 
allowed  me  to  examine  her  carefully  and  thor- 
oughly, but  when  I offered  to  administer  certain 
medicines  from  my  little  medicine  bag  she  imme- 
diately informed  me  that  she  could  not,  on  any  ac- 
count, take  any  medicine  from  my  hand,  as  she 
feared  it  might  contain  some  liquid  which  would 
break  her  caste,  coming  thus  from  a Christian  hand. 
I offered  her  medicine  in  the  form  of  dry  powder, 
but  she  still  refused  to  take  it.  I then  offered  to 
bring  drugs  in  dry  form  from  Lahore,  and  compound 
the  powder  in  her  presence,  but,  although  she  con- 
sented to  have  me  do  this,  she  did  it  in  such  a man- 
ner as  to  make  me  doubt  whether  she  really  intended 
to  take  the  medicine  thus  prepared. 

After  examining  and  prescribing  for  my  poor 
rich  patient  I spent  an  hour  or  so  in  personal  con- 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES  147 


versation  with  her — she  talking  freely  about  herself 
and  family.  Very  soon  she  grew  interested,  and  ap- 
parently gave  me  her  fullest  confidence,  and  as  I 
was  about  to  take  my  departure  she  slipped  upon 
my  finger  a gold  ring  set  with  coral,  which  she  asked 
me  to  keep  in  memory  of  her. 

I have  now  described  my  first  professional  visit 
to  the  home  of  Dewan  Luchman  Dass  and  to  the 
home  of  his  widowed  mother.  On  this  occasion  His 
Excellency  the  Dewan  engaged  me  by  the  year,  for 
an  indefinite  period  of  time,  as  his  family  physician, 
and  agreed  to  pay  me  the  sum  of  six  hundred  and 
fifty  rupees  per  month  in  addition  to  all  traveling 
and  other  incidental  expenses  of  myself  and  my  in- 
terpreter. Later  on,  however,  the  Dewan  volun- 
tarily provided  me  with  a beautiful  home  in  Lahore, 
the  second  finest  house  in  that  town,  all  beautifully 
furnished  with  rosewood  and  mahogany  furniture, 
Brussels  carpets,  rugs,  china,  pictures,  and  every- 
thing needed  to  render  a fine  house  comfortable, 
elegant,  and  homelike.  It  also  had  spacious  grounds 
about  it,  with  flower  garden,  vegetable  garden, 
servants’  quarters,  etc.,  etc.,  so  that  he  estimated  my 
salary  to  be  really  equivalent  to  eight  hundred  and 
fifty  rupees  per  month. 

In  the  course  of  the  months  while  I was  family 
physician  to  Dewan  Luchman  Dass  I became  deeply 
attached  to  Dalie,  Molie,  Blanche,  and  little  Jannoo, 
and  much  interested  in  the  Dewan  himself.  Indeed, 
I had  many  long,  earnest  conversations  with  the 
latter  relating  to  religious  matters,  and  he  often 


148 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


assured  me  that  before  he  knew  me  he  had  lost 
faith  in  all  religions,  and  neither  believed  in  the 
Mohammedan,  the  Hindu,  nor  the  Christian  faith; 
but  since  his  conversations  with  me  and  his  ac- 
quaintance with  my  life  he  had  come  to  believe  in 
the  Christian  religion  and  to  have  faith  in  God  and 
in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  assuring  me  that  now  he 
often  prayed  to  God,  in  Jesus’s  name,  asking  for 
guidance,  help,  and  blessing,  such  as  I enjoyed  my- 
self and  of  which  I had  so  often  spoken. 

The  Dewan  is  an  exceptional  native  in  being  a 
man  of  broad,  liberal  views.  He  has  adopted  many 
English  and  European  customs  and  habits  of  life. 
Unlike  the  ordinary  wealthy  native,  he  does  not 
confine  his  women  folk  in  strict  zenana  seclusion, 
and  would  gladly  allow  them  to  throw  off  the 
purdah  altogether  if  they  were  willing  to  do  so. 
Occasionally  he  takes  his  wives  for  a drive  in  one  of 
his  closed  carriages,  and  it  is  said  he  sometimes  takes 
them,  in  the  late  evening  and  by  way  of  country 
roads,  in  an  open  carriage.  Of  course  in  the  latter 
case  the  ladies  are  concealed  from  public  gaze  by 
their  close  purdah  garments,  which  fall  from  the 
head  to  the  floor,  entirely  covering  the  person. 

It  was  my  custom  to  visit  my  patients  at  Emin- 
abad  two  or  three  times  a week,  according  to  the 
need,  but  I was  often  called  by  wire  for  extra  visits 
in  cases  of  special  emergency.  I found  them  always 
very  kind-hearted,  sympathetic,  and  affectionate. 
They  fully  reciprocated  my  affection  and  looked  for- 
ward to  my  visits  with  great  interest  and  pleasure. 


imrmTTF 


Rare  Trophies  Described  in  Accompanying  Pages. 


i,  2,  The  Nawab’s  Sword  and  Dagger.  3,  The  Tiny  Crimson  Bag.  4,  The  Little 
Studded  with  Mirrors.  5.  6, 1 he  I wo  Dolls  Made  by  the  Peer’s  Daughter.  7,  The 
Gold  Calendar  Watch  which  belonged  to  His  Highness  Ahmed  Singh,  King  of  Kash- 
mir.  8,  An  Indian  Cot. 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES 


151 


On  the  seventh  day  of  October,  1890,  the  Dewan 
presented  me  with  a valuable  hunting-case,  eight- 
een-carat gold  watch,  said  to  be  worth  about  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  rupees.  The  watch  was  origi- 
nally a gift  from  His  Highness  Ahmed  Singh,  the 
King  of  Kashmir,  to  the  Dewan,  and  bears  the 
king’s  monogram  on  the  front  of  its  outer  case.  It 
is  not  only  a watch,  but  is  also  a perpetual  calendar, 
having  in  addition  to  the  hour,  minute,  and  second 
hands  two  little  hands,  one  of  which  indicates  the 
day  of  the  week  and  the  other  the  date  of  the 
month.  The  inscription,  which  is  beautifully  en- 
graved on  the  outside  of  the  inner  case,  reads  as 
follows:  “From  Dewan  Luchman  Dass  to  Dr. 

Saleni  Armstrong,  Eminabad,  Punjab,  India, 
7-io-’90.” 

October  13,  1890,  I met  w'ith  a railway  accident 
which  crippled  me  for  a period  of  two  and  a half 
years,  and  obliged  me  to  resign  my  position  as 
family  physician  to  His  Excellency  Dewan  Luch- 
man Dass. 

Since  the  railway  accident  above  referred  to,  and 
the  resignation  of  my  position  as  family  physician 
to  the  Dewan’s  household,  Mrs.  Luchman  Dass,  the 
Dewan’s  mother,  has  died ; her  remains  have  been 
burned  and  her  ashes  cast  into  the  waters  of  the 
Ganges.  The  Dewan  being  the  only  surviving  son 
of  his  father,  inherited  his  mother’s  immense  for- 
tune, and  it  is  stated  that  he  hauled  fifty  lakhs  of 
rupees  in  solid  gold  and  silver  from  Eminabad  to 

the  English  banks  of  Lahore. 

9 


152 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


THE  PEER 

It  was  a hot,  sultry  day  in  India,  and,  as  usual, 
I was  very  busy  in  the  operating  room  of  the  Gov- 
ernment Hospital  of  Hyderabad,  Sindh,  to  which  in- 
stitution I filled  the  position  of  physician-in-charge 
by  English  government  appointment.  Through  the 
open  lattice  work,  which  intervenes  between  the 
great,  broad  pillars  of  the  veranda  and  the  reed- 
grass  chicks  which  curtain  the  open  doors,  I heard 
an  unusual  commotion,  and,  looking  out,  saw  the 
servants,  nurses,  everybody  about  the  place,  rushing 
from  the  back  to  the  front  of  the  house,  where  an 
old,  white-haired,  long-bearded,  distinguished-look- 
ing native  gentleman  was  alighting,  with  the  supple- 
ness and  agility  of  a youth,  from  a fine  Arabian 
horse,  blue-black  and  glossy  as  a raven’s  shining 
breast.  He  was  surrounded  by  a bodyguard  of 
many  Mohammedan  men,  all  of  whom  were  bow- 
ing before  him  as  if  in  worship.  My  Mohammedan 
servants  also,  as  soon  as  he  had  alighted  from  his 
horse,  bowed  down  before  him  until  their  foreheads 
touched  the  earth. 

Presently  my  interpreter,  rushing  into  the  hos- 
pital, exclaimed  in  a most  excited  manner,  “The 
peer  is  here  and  wants  to  see  the  doctor  Sahib ! 

“ Give  him  a seat  in  my  office,”  said  I,  “ and  let  him 
wait;  I will  be  there  presently.”  “ O,  doctor  Sahib, 
how  can  I ask  him  to  wait  ? It  is  the  peer,  and  he 
seems  in  great  haste!  ” “ And  who  is  this  peer,” 

said  I,  “ who  cannot  be  asked  to  wait?  ” O,  he  is 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES  153 


a very  great  man  and  a very  great  saint ; all  Mo- 
hammedans worship  him  and  all  Hindus  seek  his 
life,  and  the  English  government  is  pledged  to  pro- 
tect him ; and  he  wears  a sword  and  knives  which 
were  presented  to  him  by  an  English  government 
official ; and  he  has  authority  to  slay  anyone  who 
dares  to  attack  him.”  All  this  was  rattled  off  in  a 
breath  and  in  the  most  excited  manner.  “Well,” 
said  I,  “ you  need  not  ask  him  to  wait;  I will  go  at 
once.” 

As  I entered  my  office  I saw  the  peer  standing  in 
the  middle  of  the  room  in  an  attitude  and  with  an 
air  which  reminded  me  of  a wild  bird  of  prey  which 
had  alighted  upon  the  earth  for  a moment,  with 
half-poised  pinions,  ready  to  take  flight  at  the 
slightest  alarm. 

With  the  grace  and  courtesy  of  a knight  of  the 
olden  times  he  bowed  himself  when  I entered, 
kissed  my  hand,  and  told  me  that  he  was  “a  beg- 
gar; ” that  his  daughter,  the  joy  and  delight  of  his 
life,  was  very  seriously,  dangerously  ill,  and  he  had 
come  to  beg  me  to  go  without  delay  to  save  her  life. 
He  had  no  money  to  pay  me,  but  he  would  give  his 
life,  he  would  do  anything  for  me,  if  I would  only 
save  his  daughter.  When  I consented  to  go  the  peer 
spoke  a word  to  one  of  the  Mohammedan  men,  who 
waited,  bowing,  at  the  door,  and  presently  a dozen 
Mohammedan  men  rushed  off  to  engage  a carriage 
for  my  conveyance,  and  in  an  incredibly  short  time 
many  carriages  drove  up  in  front  of  the  hospital 
gate.  It  was  not  because  I had  ordered  them,  but 


154 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


because  the  peer  had  need  of  a carriage,  that  so 
many  came  and  waited  and  begged  for  the  privilege 
of  doing  the  service.  Not  for  filthy  lucre,  not  one 
of  them  would  accept  a pie  (a  small  Indian  coin 
worth  about  one  sixth  of  a cent)  from  the  peer  for 
any  service  which  they  might  be  able  to  reuder. 
They  consider  him  to  be  the  greatest  saint  on 
earth ; and  esteem  themselves  most  highly  priv- 
ileged if  they  are  permitted  to  do  him  a service,  and 
thus,  perhaps,  receive  his  blessing.  The  peer  waited 
until  he  saw  my  interpreter  and  myself  safely  seated 
in  one  of  the  best  of  the  carriages  in  waiting,  and  then 
he  mounted  his  steed  and  fairly  flew  over  the  coun- 
try, out  from  the  city,  over  the  country  roads,  and 
through  the  jungles  to  his  home.  It  was  well-nigh 
impossible  for  us  to  keep  him  in  sight,  although  our 
coachman  kneeled  down  in  the  front  of  his  carriage 
and  applied  the  whip  to  his  already  excited  and 
running  horses.  Such  a chase  ! Two  or  three  times 
the  peer  was  quite  out  of  sight,  and  we  feared  lest 
we  should  not  be  able  to  find  his  home.  Presently, 
however,  we  saw  him  standing,  impatiently  waiting 
for  us  to  come  in  sight,  then  off  again. 

At  last,  in  a most  out-of-the-way  place,  such  as 
one  might  seek  for  concealment,  in  the  center  of  a 
jungle,  surrounded  by  scraggy  trees,  we  found  him. 
He  had  alighted,  and  waited  to  assist  me  from  the 
carriage.  A great  stone  wall,  so  lofty  that  no  mor- 
tal could  scale  it,  surrounded  his  home.  Opening 
through  this  wall  there  was  only  one  gate,  an  im- 
mense, heavy,  double-doored  gate,  which,  however, 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES  155 


was  always  kept  securely  padlocked.  In  the  lower 
part  of  one  of  the  two  doors  which  constituted  this 
gate  a little  traplike  gate  opened,  through  which 
we  crawled,  after  which  this  also  was  padlocked 
behind  us. 

Within  the  inclosure  are  three  very  fine  Arabian 
horses;  one  of  them  black,  a perfect  match  to  the 
midnight  steed  which  bore  the  peer  so  swiftly  from 
our  hospital,  and  two  iron  grays.  There  are  also  a 
goat,  a tiny  musk  deer,  several  caged  birds,  and  a 
parrot.  At  the  further  end  of  the  inclosure  is  a 
deep  veranda,  covered  with  matting  and  very  much 
littered.  This  veranda  admits  us  to  the  one  tiny 
room  which  constitutes  the  peer’s  home  and  that  of 
his  two  wives  and  his  one  daughter. 

Before  entering  the  peer  gives  me  a seat  on  the 
veranda,  sits  down  beside  me  on  the  floor  in  native 
style,  and  describes  the  condition  of  his  daughter. 
She  is  in  a perilous  condition  of  health.  Eats  noth- 
ing, absolutely  nothing,  and  frequently  vomits  large 
quantities  of  fresh  blood  ; he  does  not  know  how  she 
lives  at  all.  But  he  feels  sure  that  my  English  medi- 
cine will  be  the  means  of  restoring  her  health,  in 
which  case  he  will  worship  me.  Her  mother,  who 
was  the  peer’s  first  wife,  died  several  years  ago. 
This  daughter  is  his  only  child  and  his  sole  earthly 
solace.  She  is  the  idol  of  his  heart ; he  could  not 
live  without  her.  All  this  he  tells  me  in  the  most 
impressive  manner,  and  begs  me  to  spare  no  pains, 
no  trouble,  no  expense,  but  by  all  means  to  do  some- 
thing for  the  restoration  of  his  daughter’s  health. 


156 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


He  is  poor,  so  he  says,  a beggar  upon  the  earth. 
The  fine  Arabian  horses  were  given  to  him  as  a 
token  of  love  by  his  followers.  The  costly  gems  and 
exquisite  ornaments  which  adorn  the  person  of  his 
beloved  daughter  were  all  gifts  from  Mohammedan 
worshipers.  He  has  no  money ; he  lives  upon  the 
charity  of  his  people ; they  send  him  food  and  pro- 
vide for  each  and  all  of  his  needs  as  they  occur. 
Ask  for  it?  No,  never ! He  is  a beggar  in  fact,  but 
not  by  practice.  He  would  starve  rather  than  ask 
alms;  it  is  not  necessary  for  him  to  ask;  his  follow- 
ers count  it  their  chief  joy  and  privilege  to  present 
him  with  all  material  good.  All  this,  by  way  of 
explanation,  comes  from  the  peer’s  own  lips. 

My  interpreter  then  explains  that  the  peer  is  a 
great  prophet,  and  preaches  his  Mohammedan  re- 
ligion in  the  streets  and  everywhere  wherever  he 
can  get  an  audience,  and  that  many  people  have 
been  converted  from  the  Hindu  religion  to  the  Mo- 
hammedan through  his  instrumentality.  On  this 
account  the  Hindus  hate  him  and  seek  his  life,  and 
have  offered  a great  reward  to  anyone  who  will  slay 
him ; but  the  Mohammedans  worship  him  and  the 
English  government  protects  his  person. 

The  peer  also  explains  to  me  that  his  daughter, 
though  sixteen  or  seventeen  years  of  age,  is  still 
unmarried.  Not  because  there  is  no  one  willing  to 
marry  her;  on  the  contrary,  any  wealthy,  high-caste 
native  Mohammedan  man  in  India  would  count  him- 
self highly  honored  if  permitted  to  marry  the  peer’s 
daughter.  This  is  a very  exceptional  case ; no  other 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES  157 

like  it  in  all  India.  The  peer  has  no  equal  in  India, 
and  there  is  no  man  in  all  that  country  worthy  to 
marry  the  peer’s  daughter.  He  has  kept  her  un- 
married all  these  years,  hoping  that  some  great 
king  or  prince  would  come  from  a distance,  asking 
for  the  hand  of  his  daughter  in  marriage.  No  such 
one  having  arrived,  she  is  still  unmarried.  “ Is  he, 
the  peer,  then,  disgraced?”  I inquire.  “O  no! 
Nothing  could  disgrace  the  peer!  ” “Is  his  daugh- 
ter, then,  disgraced  because  she  has  passed  the  age 
of  twelve  and  is  still  unmarried?  ” “ O no  ! Noth- 

ing could  disgrace  her,  because  she  is  the  peer’s 
daughter!”  The  gods  could  not  curse  her;  she 
is  not  a Hindu,  to  be  cursed  by  their  gods,  but  a 
Mohammedan ; and  it  is  not  her  fault  that  she  is 
still  unmarried,  nor  her  father’s  fault;  but  only  be- 
cause there  is  no  man  in  all  India  worthy  of  such  a 
bride.  She  is,  therefore,  allowed  to  wear  her  silken 
apparel,  her  gold  and  silver  ornaments,  with  their 
costly  settings,  and  her  beautiful  hair  remains  uncut, 
though  she  be  unmarried  and  past  the  age  of  twelve. 


THE  PEER'S  DAUGHTER 

We  are  now  ushered  into  the  one  little  dark  room 
which  constitutes  the  home  of  these  strange  people, 
and  the  peer  introduces  his  daughter.  We  find  her 
reclining  gracefully  upon  a low  cot,  covered  with 
down  quilts,  soft  silk  spreads,  and  exquisite  and 
costly  Kashmeri  shawls.  She  is  attired  in  the  most 
delicately  tinted  pure  silk  garments,  and  is  literally 


158 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


covered  with  gold  and  silver  ornaments  studded 
with  costly  gems.  A more  exquisitely  beautiful 
maiden  never  lived  in  any  clime  or  delighted  any 
home.  Perfect  in  form — neither  tall  nor  short, 
neither  thin  in  flesh  nor  stout,  but  just  round  and 
sweet  and  lovely.  Graceful  in  every  motion,  pre- 
possessing in  appearance,  and  having  in  an  un- 
usually large  degree  that  strange,  rare,  native  dig- 
nity peculiar  to  high-caste  Indian  women.  At 
first  she  seems  languid.  Her  great,  soft  brown 
eyes  are  cast  down  and  her  transparent  eyelids 
droop,  while  her  long  curling  lashes  almost  entirely 
conceal  from  view  that  subtle  light  which  flashes 
and  gleams  in  their  dark  liquid  depths  beneath 
her  father’s  searching  gaze ; for  his  eyes  are  like 
an  eagle’s  in  their  keen,  piercing  stare. 

I take  my  patient’s  tiny  hand,  so  soft  and  delicate  • 
and  exquisite  in  its  contour,  and  find  the  pulse  reg- 
ular, strong,  and  perfectly  normal  in  every  way. 
The  father  looks  away  for  a moment  to  speak  to  my 
interpreter.  His  daughter  glances  first  at  him  and 
then  darts  at  me  a keen,  intelligent,  bright  look, 
quite  unlike  the  languid  glance  described  above. 
With  a few  tender  words  the  peer  commends  his 
daughter  to  my  care  and  withdraws.  As  soon  as 
he  is  quite  away,  and  his  daughter  has  heard  the 
key  turn  in  the  padlock  of  the  little  gate,  she  imme- 
diately sits  up  and  begins  an  animated  conversation 
in  the  most  intelligent,  bright,  and  winning  man- 
ner. No  more  is  said  about  her  illness.  Of  course 
I insist  upon  making  a thorough  examination,  but 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES 


159 


find  heart,  lungs,  and  every  organ  of  her  body  in  a 
perfectly  normal,  sound  condition.  The  thermom- 
eter marks  no  rise  of  temperature,  and  there  is  no 
sign  of  disease  upon  her. 

She  puts  innumerable  questions;  is  interested  in 
everything  I say ; wants  to  know  all  about  the 
world  outside,  about  America,  about  my  home  and 
friends  there,  and  how  we  live,  and  what  it  is  like  to 
be  free  and  to  go  and  come  at  will,  and  innumerable 
things.  Finally  she  begs  me  to  take  her  home  with 
me,  begs  me  to  take  her  to  the  hospital,  begs  me 
to  take  her  anywhere.  She  wants  to  see  the  world 
and  people  and  things.  The  monotony  of  her  life 
is  killing  her.  She  is  a prisoner.  Her  father  loves 
her,  is  devoted  to  her,  idolizes  her,  but  keeps  her  in 
a living  tomb.  He  will  not  relent ; he  will  not  grant 
her  any  liberty ; he  will  not  even  allow  her  to  peep 
over  the  high  wall  that  surrounds  her  home.  If 
she  could  only  climb  to  the  roof  of  her  house,  as 
poor,  low-caste  women  are  allowed  to  do,  and  have 
a look,  be  it  ever  so  little,  round  about  outside  of 
her  father’s  compound  (lawn  or  yard),  that  would 
be  something.  Her  father,  however,  is  hard ; he 
will  not  allow  her  the  least  little  peep  of  the  out- 
side world ; she  never  sees  anybody  nor  anything ; 
never  is  allowed  any  privileges  nor  liberty  of  any 
kind.  She  is  “dying”  to  get  away  from  this 
wretched  place.  She  speaks  pretty  broken  English, 
and  can  read  and  write.  Her  mother  was  an  edu- 
cated woman  and  taught  her  at  home.  Her  grand- 
mother taught  her  mother  in  the  beginning.  How 


160 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


this  small  bit  of  education  first  crept  into  this  native 
home  is  unknown,  but  certain  it  is  that  it  has  been 
appreciated,  and  has  been  extended  from  mother  to 
daughter,  so  that  this  peer’s  daughter  is  able  to  read 
and  has  some  idea  of  the  outside  world,  although 
she  has  never  seen  it.  Nor  has  she  many  books  to 
read.  Only  occasionally  some  newspaper,  or  a scrap 
of  some  newspaper,  comes  within  her  grasp.  She 
assures  me  that  she  has  read  just  enough  about  the 
world  to  make  her  crazy  to  see  it.  How  animated 
she  seems!  How  brilliant!  How  her  eyes  flash 
and  how  the  bright  color  deepens  in  her  exquisitely 
rounded  olive  cheek  as  she  speaks!  A fair  and 
lovely  picture  to  behold,  here  in  her  dark,  dingy 
prison-house.  As  she  again  and  again  begs  me  to 
take  her  away  I feel  obliged  to  suggest  the  diffi- 
culties, which  she  knows  so  well  and  feels  so  keenly. 
Then  she  falls  back  upon  her  low  cot  disappointed, 
sad,  disconsolate.  Presently,  however,  she  springs 
up  like  some  wild  thing  and  begins  to  tell  me  in 
the  most  impressive  manner  how  very  ill  she  is ; 
how  she  has  frequent  attacks  during  which  she 
vomits  clear  blood ; that  she  cannot  eat ; that  she  goes 
whole  days  and  days  and  days  without  a morsel  of 
food;  that  she  has  no  appetite  at  all.  For  this 
cause  I must  take  her  to  the  hospital.  The  change 
of  diet,  the  change  of  surroundings,  the  nursing, 
and  all  will  serve  to  restore  her  health.  I promise 
to  use  my  best  influence  with  the  peer  to  induce 
him  to  send  her  to  the  hospital.  This  I do,  but  he 
refuses;  will  not  entertain  the  proposition  for  a 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES 


161 


moment.  Again  and  again,  during  the  weeks  that 
follow,  he  comes  on  his  black  steed  tearing  over  to 
the  hospital,  and  takes  me  back  at  the  same  break- 
neck speed  to  visit  his  daughter,  who  has  recently 
had  another  attack  of  this  terrible  hemorrhage  from 
the  stomach  and  has  taken  no  food  or  nourishment 
of  any  kind  for  a period  of  several  days — a week, 
perhaps.  Finally,  after  many  such  trips,  I succeed 
in  persuading  the  peer  to  bring  his  daughter  to  the 
hospital.  The  time  is  appointed  for  the  journey — 
midnight,  on  the  darkest  night  in  the  month. 
First  of  all,  of  course,  she  is  enveloped  in  her  long 
white  purdah  garment,  which  extends  from  the 
crown  of  her  head  to  the  floor  and  trails  about  her 
feet.  Then  she  is  placed  in  a closed  purdah  carriage — 
a box  arrangement,  in  which  there  is  no  window — 
and  the  one  door  through  which  she  enters  is  tightly 
fastened.  This  box-shaped  purdah  carriage  is  then 
raised  by  means  of  two  long  poles  and  carried  on 
the  shoulders  of  four  servant  men.  These  men  are 
all  high-caste  Mohammedans,  and  the  peer  himself 
walks  along  at  the  side  of  the  carriage,  keeping  his 
hand  upon  the  door.  Thus,  in  the  middle  of  the 
night,  the  peer’s  daughter  is  conveyed  from  her 
zenana  home  to  our  zenana  hospital.  In  the  hos- 
pital she  makes  rapid  improvement,  eats  well,  and 
vomits  no  blood ; is  happy  as  a lark,  the  very  light 
of  the  hospital  and  the  delight  of  all  its  inmates ; a 
little  wayward,  however,  regarding  confinement. 
She  begs  the  nurses  to  allow  her  to  peep  out  the 
doors,  walk  on  the  veranda,  and  enjoy  many  other 


162 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


little  privileges  of  freedom.  They,  fearing  the 
peer,  forbid  all  such  innocent  diversions.  Then  she 
becomes  imperious,  and  asks  them  how  they  dare 
to  refuse  the  peer’s  daughter!  How  they  dare  to 
command  her!  Nevertheless,  she  submits. 

Every  time  I visit  my  little  patient  in  her  ward 
she  entreats  me  to  take  her  home  with  me.  She  says 
she  will  cover  herself  completely  from  view  with 
her  purdah  garment,  and  then  ride  in  my  carriage 
by  my  side  from  the  hospital  to  my  home.  I dare 
not  grant  her  petition.  Finally,  one  of  the  Moham- 
medan nurses,  who  worships  the  peer,  thinking  I 
will  surely  yield  and  that  I intend  to  take  her  over 
to  my  house,  sends  a message  to  the  peer  to  this 
effect.  The  peer  is  furious,  and,  white  with  rage ; 
he  tears  over  to  the  hospital,  clinching  the  hilt  of 
his  sword.  Thus  he  rushes  up  to  the  hospital  and, 
meeting  the  matron  at  the  veranda  entrance,  de- 
mands to  know  where  his  daughter  may  be  found. 
She  quietly  assures  him  that  his  daughter  is  in  her 
ward,  and  that  he  can  see  her  in  a moment  if  he  will 
wait  in  the  office.  This  unarms  his  rage  in  part, 
but  not  wholly.  He  will  stand  and  wait  until  his 
daughter  appear.  When,  however,  he  sees  that 
she  is  really  there  and  coming  he  relents  and  tells 
the  matron,  Mrs.  Collins,  and  my  native  Christian 
interpreter,  Pareni,  who  has  come  in,  that  he  came 
with  the  full  purpose  of  murdering  them  all,  and 
declares  that  he  intended  to  kill  the  doctor  Sahib 
as  well,  in  case  he  did  not  find  his  daughter  at  the 
hospital.  Finding  her  there  safe  and  well,  and 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES  163 


being  assured  that  she  shall  not  on  any  pretense  be 
allowed  to  escape,  he  returns  to  his  home  satisfied. 
Some  days  later  the  peer  expresses  a desire  to  take 
his  daughter  home,  believing  her  to  be  fully  re- 
stored to  health.  I acquiesce  in  this  latter  opinion, 
and  agree  that  she  may  leave  the  hospital  in  the 
course  of  a day  or  two.  The  news  of  this  conver- 
sation soon  reaches  my  little  patient,  and  that 
evening  she  has  a violent  fit  of  vomiting  and  a 
terrible  hemorrhage.  Of  course  the  matron  sends 
for  me  instantly.  When  I arrive  I find  my  little 
patient  lying  quietly  in  her  bed  apparently  ex- 
hausted, but  not  more  pallid  than  usual.  I take 
her  pulse  and  find  it  perfectly  normal.  The  ward 
floor  near  the  bed  of  the  peer’s  daughter  is  badly 
stained  with  blood  (?),  the  nurse  having  allowed 
the  stains  to  remain  until  I should  see  it.  I request 
them  to  leave  it  until  the  following  morning,  when 
I shall  be  able  to  examine  it  by  daylight.  In  the 
morning  I discover  that  the  vomited  matter  is  not 
blood,  although  I cannot  tell  what  it  is — something 
which  has  the  color  of  blood,  and  which  appears 
like  it  in  every  way,  except  that  it  does  not  coagu- 
late. I intimate  to  the  nurse  in  attendance  my 
suspicions,  and  order  her  to  give  my  patient  a bath 
without  giving  her  any  intimation  of  her  purpose, 
and  to  make  a thorough  search  for  any  red  powder 
or  liquid  which  may  be  concealed  about  her  person. 
Soon  after  this  the  nurse  who  has  charge  of  the 
peer’s  daughter  comes  to  my  home  to  report.  Her 
patient  made  all  sorts  of  excuses  in  order  to  avoid 


164 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


the  bath,  and  made  many  other  excuses  to  gain 
time  in  order,  as  it  proved,  to  get  rid  of  something 
about  her  person.  In  spite  of  all,  however,  the 
nurse  discovers  a tiny  bag  fastened  about  her  pa- 
tient’s waist  underneath  her  clothing  which  contains 
a red  powder,  and  being  hard  pressed,  the  peer’s 
daughter  confesses  this  red  powder  to  be  the  sub- 
stance which  she  swallowed  in  order  to  make  it 
seem  that  she  had  vomited  blood.  Of  course  she 
confides  this  to  the  nurse  in  great  confidence,  ex- 
acting a promise  of  secrecy.  She  further  explains 
that  her  women  servants  bring  her  the  powder 
whenever  she  wants  it,  and  that  they  also  give  her 
food  in  her  father’s  absence,  thus  enabling  her  to 
fast  in  his  presence. 

Prior  to  this  discovery  the  peer  had  been  notified 
of  his  daughter’s  illness,  and  he  therefore  decided 
to  allow  her  to  remain  in  the  hospital  until  such 
time  as  she  might  be  again  fully  restored. 

Many  such  stratagems  as  these  are  resorted  to  by 
the  peer’s  daughter  in  order  to  obtain  a greater  de- 
gree of  freedom,  diversion,  or  change. 

After  many  words,  much  entreaty,  argument,  ad- 
vice, and  every  means  that  could  be  resorted  to,  the 
peer  is  finally  persuaded  to  bring  his  daughter  to 
my  home  to  pay  me  a brief  visit.  Of  course  this 
must  be  done  after  nightfall,  on  a dark  night,  and 
in  the  same  closed  purdah  carriage  which  conveyed 
her  from  her  zenana  home  to  our  zenana  hospital.  I 
sit  up  until  a late  hour  in  order  to  receive  my  little 
guest.  It  proves  to  be  a very  great  treat  to  her. 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES 


165 


She  is  delighted  with  everything  she  sees  in  my 
home.  Of  course  all  my  male  servants  have  been 
previously  sent  away  from  the  premises,  and  there 
is  no  man  about  the  place  except  my  husband,  who 
is  cloistered  in  a room  apart,  and  who  receives  the 
peer  himself  and  entertains  him  during  the  visit. 
At  a late  hour  the  peer  enters  the  room  where  we 
sit  and  announces  that  he  is  ready  to  return  to  his 
home  and  that  his  daughter  must  prepare  to  go. 
Almost  instantly  my  little  patient  takes  a severe 
pain,  and  invites  her  father  to  withdraw  in  order 
that  she  may  make  known  to  her  physician  the  char- 
acter of  her  sufferings.  As  soon  as  the  peer  has  left 
the  room  his  daughter  arises,  shrugs  her  shoulders, 
smiles  significantly,  and  continues  her  visit.  Still 
later  in  the  evening  she  entreats  me  to  keep  her ; 
to  make  some  excuse  to  her  father  so  that  he  will 
allow  her  to  remain  with  me.  O,  if  she  could  only 
live  here  always ! Such  is  her  cry. 

Poor  child!  Just  a healthy,  strong,  vigorous 
maiden,  full  of  life,  and  health,  and  vigor,  and 
energy,  and  interest,  to  whom  all  things  in  life  seem 
beautiful,  enticing,  fascinating;  and  such  a one 
condemned  to  lifelong  solitude  and  seclusion  ! 

After  her  return  to  her  little  dark  zenana  home  our 
patient  has  frequent  attacks  of  vomiting  and  hemor- 
rhage like  those  above  described,  and  on  each  occa- 
sion I am  summoned  to  her  side  in  great  haste  by 
her  father. 

The  peer  often  visits  us  in  our  home ; professes 
to  be  very  fond  of  Mr.  Hopkins  and  deeply  grateful 


166 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


to  me  for  what  I have  done  for  his  daughter.  Some- 
times he  spends  several  hours  at  our  home.  On 
such  occasions,  when  his  hour  for  prayer  arrives  (the 
Mohammedans  worship  seven  times  a day),  he  goes 
to  the  front  of  the  house,  spreads  his  garment  upon 
the  ground,  stands  upon  it,  and  goes  through  all  the 
ceremonies  of  Mohammedan  worship.  He  usually 
spends  one  hour  at  his  prayers.  This  over,  he  goes 
back  into  the  house  and  engages  in  conversation 
again  with  anyone  of  us  who  happens  to  be  at 
leisure.  He  usually  brings  some  gift  for  me,  from 
himself  or  from  his  daughter.  Thus,  at  one  time, 
he  brought  me  the  beautiful  little  musk  deer,  which 
was  his  family  pet.  At  another  time  he  brought  me 
two  lovely  ringdoves. 

When  we  were  about  to  return  to  America  the  fact 
somehow  came  to  the  knowledge  of  the  peer’s 
daughter  and  she  sent  me  an  urgent  request  to  visit 
her  once  more  before  leaving  India.  I can  never 
forget  that  last  visit.  How  sad  she  was  at  the 
thought  of  never  seeing  me  again ! She  presented 
to  me  many  little  tokens  of  love.  Among  them 
were  two  dolls,  representing  a wealthy  high-caste 
Mohammedan  lady  and  gentleman  of  Hyderabad, 
which  she  had  made  expressly  for  me,  with  her  own 
deft  fingers ; also  a bag,  studded  with  tiny  round 
mirrors  and  embroidered  in  silk  floss  of  many  colors. 

The  peer’s  daughter  is,  in  two  notable  particu- 
lars, a very  great  exception  to  the  ordinary  high- 
caste  zenana  woman  of  India.  First,  having  passed 
the  age  of  twelve  years  unmarried,  she  is,  neverthe- 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES  167 


less  not  considered  to  be  disgraced  herself  nor  a dis- 
grace to  her  family  and  caste,  and,  secondly,  she 
has  been  taught  to  read  and  is  able  to  do  some  sorts 
of  needlework  with  her  own  hands,  and  is  allowed 
to  divert  herself  in  this  manner. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  peer’s  daughter  has 
a lover,  and  one,  too,  whom  her  father  does  not 
approve. 

A short  time  before  my  first  visit  it  happened  that 
a young  native  prince  from  some  distant  city  came 
to  see  the  peer  in  regard  to  some  matter  pertaining 
to  their  Mohammedan  religion  or  worship.  While 
he,  the  young  prince,  was  being  entertained  by  the 
peer  outside  of  the  high  wall  which  serves  to  keep 
his  wives  and  daughter  in  seclusion,  one  of  the 
servant  women  returning  from  Hyderabad  city, 
where  she  had  been  sent  on  an  errand  by  one  of  the 
peer’s  wives,  saw  this  young  prince  and  was  much 
impressed  by  his  handsome  face,  courteous  manner, 
and  grace  and  dignity  of  bearing.  When  she  was 
again  admitted  through  the  small  gate  into  the 
presence  of  her  mistress  she  was,  as  usual,  interro- 
gated by  the  peer’s  daughter  as  to  all  she  had  seen 
and  heard  during  her  absence.  Of  course  she  men- 
tioned the  fact  of  having  seen  this  wonderful  young 
prince  who  was  visiting  the  peer,  and  enlarged  upon 
his  many  charms,  the  fascination  of  his  brilliant 
eyes,  the  beauty  of  his  raven  locks,  and  the  dignity 
of  his  manly  bearing. 

The  peer’s  daughter  had  never  looked  upon  the 
face  of  any  man  save  that  of  her  father  only,  as  she 


168 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


has  no  brothers  and  no  near  kinsmen.  Upon  hear- 
ing this  description  from  the  lips  of  her  servant 
woman  she  became  frantic  to  meet  this  handsome 
young  prince,  and  began  at  once  to  devise  means 
whereby  she  might  achieve  this  end.  At  length  it 
was  arranged  that  there  should  be  another  errand 
which  would  make  it  necessary  for  one  of  the  serv- 
ant women  to  go  again  to  the  city;  and  that,  as  the 
peer  unlocked  the  little  gate  to  allow  her  to  pass 
out,  one  of  his  wives  should  call  him  urgently — the 
daughter  feigning  sudden  illness;  meanwhile  the 
servant  woman,  rushing  through  the  little  gate, 
should  speak  to  the  young  prince,  and  give  him  a 
hint  of  the  true  situation,  asking  him  to  return  the 
following  day  at  a certain  hour  when  it  was  known 
the  peer  would  be  away  from  home  attending  to  his 
religious  duties. 

This  arrangement  was  successfully  carried  out,  and 
at  the  appointed  hour  the  young  prince  appeared 
again  on  the  spot  and  waited  and  watched  for  fur- 
ther developments.  By  some  device  of  these  fair 
plotters,  for  the  peer’s  wives  and  servant  women 
were  in  league  with  his  daughter,  a sort  of  ladder 
was  improvised,  by  means  of  which  she,  the  peer’s 
daughter,  climbed  to  the  roof  of  her  father’s  house 
and  from  there  looked  over  the  wall  which  sur- 
rounded her  father’s  premises,  down  upon  the  young 
prince  who  waited  to  see  her  face.  They  were  not 
near  enough  to  hold  any  conversation,  but  it  seems 
it  was  a case  of  “ love  at  first  sight,”  and  mutual. 
The  young  prince  was  completely  charmed  and  cap- 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES 


169 


tivated  by  the  bewildering  beauty  of  the  peer’s 
daughter,  and  the  peer’s  daughter,  on  her  part,  fell 
madly  in  love  with  the  prince. 

Of  course  the  peer  must  never  know  that  his 
daughter’s  face  had  been  seen  by  a man,  and  with- 
out divulging  this  fact-  the  prince  applied  for  the 
hand  of  the  peer’s  daughter  in  marriage,  but  with- 
out success.  The  peer  did  not  consider  that  this 
young  man  was  of  sufficiently  high  caste,  sufficiently 
wealthy,  or  that  he  held  a sufficiently  exalted  posi- 
tion in  the  world  to  be  worthy  of  his  daughter ; and 
his  decision  was  of  course  final.  The  young  couple, 
however,  continue  to  send  messages,  through  the 
servants,  each  to  the  other,  always  hoping  for  a time 
to  come  when,  somehow,  all  barriers  to  their  union 
may  be  dissolved. 

The  little  gate  is  never  allowed  to  remain  un- 
locked, not  even  for  the  space  of  a single  moment, 
and  no  servant  woman  can  leave  the  premises  except 
she  be  passed  out  by  the  hand  of  the  peer  himself. 
This  she  may  do  occasionally,  when  there  is  some 
errand  which  can  only  be  done  by  a servant  woman 
or  which  is  beneath  the  dignity  of  the  peer.  If  she 
return  during  the  peer’s  absence  from  home,  she  can- 
not be  admitted  until  his  return  ; she  must  wait  with- 
out until  the  peer  come  and  bring  the  only  key 
which  will  unfasten  the  padlock  of  that  little  gate. 

The  young  prince  lingers  about  the  place  and 
watches,  from  some  distant  hiding  place,  for  the 
peer  to  leave  home,  then  draws  nearer,  hoping 
that  some  means  maybe  arranged  whereby  he  shall 


170 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


have  the  opportunity  of  gazing  once  more  upon  the 
face  of  the  fair  young  maiden  who  has  won  his 
heart.  She,  on  her  part,  watches  and  waits  for  his 
approach,  longs  for  her  father’s  disappearance,  and 
seizes  every  possible  opportunity  to  behold  the  hand- 
some face  of  her  lover. 

Should  there  ever  be  a sequel  to  this  strange  ro- 
mance, which  is  not  a fiction,  but  a fact,  I may,  per- 
haps, on  some  future  day  be  able  to  “continue” 
this  story  to  its  happy  (?)  termination. 

Is  there  no  release?  Is  there  no  release?  O 
God,  is  there  no  release?  When  shall  these  prison 
walls  be  broken  down  ? When  shall  these  innocent 
captives  be  set  at  liberty?  When  shall  these  chains 
of  adamant  be  severed ! When  shall  these  fair 
limbs  be  unbound?  When  shall  these  beautiful 
and  innocent  slaves  be  emancipated?  When  shall 
these  sepulchers  be  unlocked  and  broken  through  ? 
When  shall  these  living  wives  and  daughters  be 
released  from  these  tombs  of  living  women?  Who 
will  answer? 

‘ ‘ The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  God  is  upon  me ; be- 
cause the  Lord  hath  anointed  me  to  preach  good 
tidings  unto  the  meek ; he  hath  sent  me  to  bind  up 
the  brokenhearted,  to  proclaim  liberty  to  the  cap- 
tives, and  the  opening  of  the  prison  to  them  that 
are  bound ; 

“To  proclaim  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord, 
and  the  day  of  vengeance  of  our  God ; to  comfort 
all  that  mourn ; 

“ To  appoint  unto  them  that  mourn  in  Zion,  to 


IN  THE  ZENANA  HOMES  OF  INDIAN  PRINCES  171 


give  unto  them  beauty  for  ashes,  the  oil  of  joy  for 
mourning,  the  garment  of  praise  for  the  spirit  of 
heaviness;  that  they  might  be  called  Trees  of 
righteousness,  The  planting  of  the  Lord,  that  he 
might  be  glorified  ” (Isa.  61.  1-3). 


A PROPHECY  AND  A PRAYER 

The  rich  the  poorest  are,  I ween, 

And  most  to  be  deplored 
Their  hapless  lot,  behind  the  screen 
Where  naught  may  joy  afford. 

The  chains  that  bind  are  adamant ; 

The  walls  are  great  and  high  ; 

The  purdah  veil  remains  unrent — 

Fair  captives  weep  and  sigh. 

Our  God  shall  break  the  captive’s  chain 
And  set  the  prisoner  free; 

He’ll  rend  the  purdah  veil  in  twain. 
That  blinded  eyes  may  see. 

Amen  ! So  let  it  be  ! 


BOOK  III 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF 
ZION 


“ Go  ye  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing 
them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and 
of  the  Holy  Ghost : 

“ Teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever 
I have  commanded  you : and,  lo,  I am  with  you 
away,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world." — Matthew 
xxviii,  19,  20. 


TO  THE  PEERLESS  TRIO 
MISSES  HEWLETT,  BARTLETT,  AND  CROSS 
OF 

THE  CHURCH  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY 
OF 

UMRITSAR,  PUNJAB,  INDIA 
WHO  EXTENDED  MANY  KINDLY,  HOSPITABLE 
AND  GRACIOUS  COURTESIES  UNTO 
“ONE  OF  THE  LEAST”  OF  HIS 
EVEN  AS  UNTO  HIM 
THIS  LITTLE  WORK 
“HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION” 

IS 

VERY  GRATEFULLY  AND  AFFECTIONATELY 
DEDICATED 
BY 

THE  AUTHOR 


South  India  Conference 


BOOK  III 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION 


WHO  ARE  THEY? 

Heroes  they  who,  self  forgetting. 
Gladly  yield  their  lives  to  God  ; 
Seeking  not  for  vain  preferment, 

Meekly  bowing  ’neath  the  rod. 

Heroes  they,  and  heroes  worthy, 

Who,  neglectful  of  earth’s  gain, 

Carry  to  the  heathen  nations 
Tidings  of  the  Lamb  once  slain: 

Slain  for  all  mankind  in  common, 

Slain  the  nations  to  reclaim 
From  the  dire  results  of  sinning  ; 

Giving  glory  to  his  name  ; 

Heroines  and  heroes  noble  ; 

Worthy  of  our  love  sincere. 

For  unto  the  heart  of  Jesus 

They  are  cherished  friends  most  dear. 


THE  METHODIST  MISSIONARY  OF  THE 
PARENT  BOARD 

There  are  many  phases  of  missionary  work  in 
India.  Seventy-three  distinct  Christian  denomina- 
tions and  societies  are  represented,  and  each  one 
has  many  different  branches  and  departments  of 
missionary  effort.  In  onr  own  Methodist  Episcopal 

179 


180 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


Church,  we  have  first  of  all  the  regular  male  mis- 
sionary, sent  out  by  the  parent  board  and  sup- 
ported by  our  Missionary  Society.  Upon  his  arrival 
in  India  the  first  necessity  which  arises  is  that  of 
mastering  some  one  of  the  many  languages  spoken 
by  the  people  of  Hindiistan.  It  will  require  one 
year  at  least  for  him  to  become  sufficiently  ad- 
vanced in  this  study  to  be  able  to  take  charge  of  a 
native  church.  Usually,  therefore,  he  is  first  ap- 
pointed pastor  of  some  English-speaking  church. 
He  may  remain  in  this  church  for  one,  two,  three, 
or  more  years ; but  whether  it  be  a long  or  a short 
term  of  service,  he  is  supposed  to  put  in  every  spare 
moment  in  the  study  of  the  particular  language 
which  he  has  selected,  and  when  he  becomes  suffi- 
ciently proficient  to  be  able  to  hold  conversation 
and  to  preach  fairly  well  in  the  vernacular  he  is 
appointed  pastor  of  some  native  church.  Now  his 
labors  begin  in  earnest.  Not  only  must  he  perform 
all  the  regular  pastoral  duties  which  devolve  upon 
every  pastor  in  the  Methodist  Church  at  home,  such 
as  regular  Sabbath  services,  pastoral  visitations, 
marriages,  baptisms,  funerals,  etc.,  etc.,  but  he 
must  do  much  more  than  this.  He  preaches  two 
or  three  times  every  Sunday,  and  usually  once  or 
twice  every  day  in  the  week.  At  four,  five,  or  six 
o’clock  in  the  morning  the  butler  ( Jianial ) raps  at 
the  door  of  the  missionary’s  bed  chamber  and  cries 
out,  “ Chota  haziri , Sahib!”  (Little  breakfast,  sir!) 
At  this  summons  the  missionary  goes  to  the  door 
and  receives  a little  tray  containing  two  cups  of  tea 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION 


1 8 1 


or  coffee,  one  for  himself  and  one  for  his  wife,  and 
two  or  three  thin  slices  of  toasted  bread  already 
spread  with  buffalo  butter — white  as  lard.  There 
may  also  be  two  small  bananas  or  two  eggs,  but 
these  do  not  usually  form  a part  of  the  little  break- 
fast. Immediately  after  this  “ frugal  meal,”  early, 
early  in  the  morning,  before  the  heat  becomes  too 
great  for  him  to  be  out  of  doors  with  impunity,  he 
is  found  on  some  public  corner  or  square  in  the  na- 
tive bazar  preaching  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ. 
This  he  may  do  even  before  he  has  become  fluent 
in  the  use  of  the  native  tongue,  through  an  inter- 
preter. He  takes  with  him  one  of  his  native  local 
preachers  or  exhorters  and  they  walk  to  the  bazar 
together.  As  they  approach  the  market  place,  or 
immediately  after  they  arrive  and  have  taken  their 
stand,  they  begin  singing  some  Christian  hymn  in 
the  native  tongue,  and  perhaps  playing  an  accompa- 
niment with  cymbals,  tambourine,  or  some  other 
musical  instrument  of  native  device.  This  attracts 
attention  and  soon  avails  to  draw  a crowd.  When 
a sufficient  number  have  gathered  the  singing  and 
playing  ceases  and  our  missionary  begins  his  ser- 
mon. It  is  not  a short  discourse  of  twenty,  thirty, 
or  forty  minutes’  duration,  but  may  last  for  several 
hours.  The  congregation  is  constantly  changing; 
a few  going  away  and  others  coming  almost  con- 
tinually, so  that  at  the  close  of  the  discourse,  two 
or  three  hours  after  its  commencement,  the  preacher 
will  have  an  entirely  different  audience  from  the 
one  with  which  he  began.  The  service  may  be 


182 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


varied  from  time  to  time,  at  the  discretion  of  the 
missionary,  with  song,  prayer,  scripture  reading, 
short  addresses,  or  testimonies  by  native  assistants. 
Sometimes,  especially  in  large  cities,  two  or  three 
missionaries  may  go  together  to  the  morning  street 
preaching,  taking  with  them  several  native  helpers, 
and  in  this  case  there  will  be  several  discourses,  inter- 
spersed with  prayer  and  singing.  When  the  sun’s 
rays  become  intolerably  hot  the  service  is  closed  and 
all  return  home,  where  they  arrive  usually  at  nine  or 
ten  o’clock.  Bara  liaziri  khana  (big  breakfast)  is  now 
in  waiting — -oatmeal,  curry  and  rice,  poached  eggs 
on  toast,  potato  chips,  bananas,  and  possibly  beef- 
steak. Breakfast  over,  the  missionary  conducts 
family  prayers.  This  he  does  sometimes  in  the 
native  language  only,  at  other  times  using  both  the 
English  and  native  tongues,  reading  a part  of  the 
Scripture  lesson  in  our  own  language  and  a part  in 
the  vernacular,  or  reading  the  same  lesson  in  both 
languages ; praying  first  in  one  language  and  then 
in  another,  or  praying  in  the  English  tongue  and 
having  his  prayer  interpreted  sentence  by  sentence 
into  the  native  language.  This  is  done  for  the 
sake  of  the  native  servants,  who  have  gathered 
in  the  large  dining  room  and  sit  around  on  the 
floor  with  their  legs  crossed  and  their  heads  bowed 
in  the  most  respectful  manner.  During  prayer 
they  will  all  lean  over  until  their  foreheads  touch 
the  floor  and  remain  in  this  bowed  position  until 
the  end  of  the  Lord’s  Prayer,  which  all  Christians 
in  the  room  repeat  in  concert.  After  family  wor- 


Dana’s  Wife,  the  Ayah  Dena,  the  Butler 
Miss  Robinson  Miss  W.  L.  Armstrong  Miss  Levermore 

Three  Zenana  Missionaries  with  Servants  and  Two  of  Miss  Levermore's 
Little  Adopted  Native  Children,  and  Chung,  Dena’s  Son 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION 


185 


ship  the  missionary  retires  to  his  study,  not  for  rest, 
but  for  letter  or  report  writing,  private  devotions, 
or  study.  At  one  o’clock  the  butler  rings  the  bell, 
announcing  that  tiffin  (luncheon)  is  ready.  This  is 
a light  meal,  often  cold — some  cold  sliced  meat,  a 
cup  of  hot  tea,  stale  bread  with  buffalo  butter,  ba- 
nanas, oranges,  custard,  apples,  guavas,  mangoes, 
or  whatever  fruit  may  be  in  season.  He  may  also 
have  hot  curry  and  rice,  but  this  is  not  customary. 
After  luncheon  the  missionary  must  see  his  local 
preachers,  exhorters,  and  other  native  assistants, 
and  instruct  them  as  to  the  best  methods  of  teach- 
ing the  Scripture  lesson,  etc.,  etc.  At  four  or 
half-past  four,  the  native  assistants  depart,  leav- 
ing our  missionary  alone  in  his  study.  Pres- 
ently the  butler,  with  bare  feet,  pure  white  turban 
of  immense  size,  spotless  kurta  and  pacjama,  and 
scarlet  sash,  comes  to  the  missionary’s  study  bear- 
ing a small  tray  with  a cup  of  India  tea  and  a few 
English  biscuits.  The  missionary  partakes  of  these 
refreshments  with  relish.  At  this  hour  of  the  day, 
when  the  oppressive  heat  has  served  to  enervate 
and  depress  the  weary  missionary,  his  afternoon 
tea  seems  a necessity.  In  some  missionary  homes, 
however,  the  afternoon  tea  is  dispensed  with  and 
dinner  is  served  at  that  hour,  in  which  case  tea 
and  biscuits  are  usually  served  late  in  the  evening. 
At  half-past  four  or  five  o’clock  in  the  afternoon,  as 
the  heat  begins  to  abate,  the  missionary  leaves  his 
home  again.  This  time  he  goes  to  the  native  city 
to  visit  his  boys’  schools.  Of  these  he  may  have  a 


186 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


large  number  under  his  own  care.  A small  upper 
room  in  the  native  city  serves  as  a schoolroom, 
and  a native  Christian  man,  who  has  been  educated 
in  one  of  our  missionary  boys'  boarding  schools,  is 
engaged  as  teacher.  Native  boys  whose  parents 
are  heathen  are  gathered  from  all  parts  of  the  city 
to  these  day  schools.  Here  the  rudiments  of  an 
education  are  acquired  and  the  pupils  are  prepared 
to  enter  English  government  schools  of  higher 
grade,  but  the  Bible  is  the  chief  text-book  and  is 
taught  regularly  and  carefully  every  day.  There 
may  be  only  one,  but  if  there  be  ten,  fifteen,  or 
more  such  schools  as  this  in  the  native  city  where 
our  missionary  is  pastor  of  the  native  church,  he  must 
superintend  them  all.  He  visits  each  of  them  fre- 
quently, conducts  all  the  examinations,  directs  and 
examines  the  native  teachers,  and  has  oversight 
and  management  of  the  whole.  So  that  our  mis- 
sionary to  India  must  be  not  only  an  able  preacher 
of  the  Gospel  and  a consecrated  Christian  man,  but 
he  must  also  be  strong  and  vigorous  in  body  in 
order  to  endure  the  enervating  effects  of  that  most 
trying  tropical  climate  and  the  strain  of  his  inces- 
sant and  arduous  toil.  He  must  also  be  a scholar, 
able  to  teach  and  to  superintend  many  schools — to 
manage  men,  to  marshal  his  converts;  a very 
general. 

Nor  are  these  all  the  labors  that  devolve  upon 
our  missionary  in  India.  He  may  have,  in  addition 
to  the  native  day  schools  in  the  native  city,  one  or 
more  boys’  boarding  schools  which  he  must  super- 


Rev.  S.  P.  Jacobs  with  the  Boys  of  One  of  His  Native  Schools 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION 


189 


intend.  If  his  church  be  strong  spiritually,  finan- 
cially, numerically,  and  in  every  respect,  he  will 
have  efficient  helpers — class  leaders,  Sabbath  school 
superintendent,  Epworth  League  president,  stew- 
ards, trustees,  Ladies’  Aid,  and  all  the  auxiliary 
helpers  which  a pastor  in  a Christian  land  is  sup- 
posed to  have.  This,  however,  is  exceptional.  As 
a rule  our  missionary  who  holds  the  position  of 
pastor  of  a native  church  in  India  has  little,  if  any, 
efficient  help  in  his  church.  He  or  his  wife  must 
superintend  the  Sabbath  school,  act  as  president  of 
the  Epworth  League,  lead  the  classes,  and  fill  every 
position  of  responsibility  in  the  church. 

After  our  missionary  returns  from  the  native  city, 
where  he  has  been  to  inspect  or  examine  his  boys’ 
day  schools,  he  is  usually  ready  for  his  khana  (din- 
ner), which  is  served  at  six,  seven,  or  eight  o’clock 
in  the  evening,  according  to  the  prevailing  custom 
of  the  English  people  of  the  community  in  which  he 
lives. 

No  food  is  found  upon  the  dining  table  when  the 
missionary  and  his  family  first  take  their  accus- 
tomed places,  except,  perhaps,  the  soup,  which 
forms  the  inevitable  first  course.  After  this,  fol- 
lowing in  due  course,  come  the  fish,  the  roast  and 
vegetables,  the  curry  and  rice,  and,  finally,  the  pud- 
ding or  the  fruit. 

Immediately  after  dinner  the  missionary  conducts 
family  worship,  the  servants  attending  as  in  the 
morning. 

During  the  evening  our  missionary  may  have  a 

11 


190 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


sermon  to  preach,  an  Epworth  League  service  to 
conduct,  a prayer  or  class  meeting  to  lead,  a Bible 
reading  to  give,  a Missionary  Conference  to  attend, 
some  ill  people  to  visit,  or  a report  to  write.  In 
any  case  his  time  is  sure  to  be  fully  occupied.  And 
thus  his  busy  days  go  by. 

Besides  the  regular  pastorates  of  the  English- 
speaking  and  native  churches  there  are  other  posi- 
tions of  trust  and  responsibility  which  must  be  filled 
by  the  regular  male  missionary  of  the  parent  board 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  There  must  be 
presiding  elders  for  the  various  districts,  our  Church 
papers  must  have  editors  and  agents,  our  Christian 
schools  and  colleges  must  have  presidents  and 
teachers,  our  various  printing  and  publishing  agen- 
cies must  be  superintended  by  competent  men,  and 
at  any  Annual  Conference  session  the  regular  pastor 
may  be  removed  from  his  pastorate  to  fill  any  of  the 
above  posts  left  vacant  by  death  or  removal.  Lat- 
tei'ly,  however,  some  of  these  important  places,  such 
as  presiding  elderships  and  professorships  in  our 
Christian  schools  and  colleges,  have  been  and  are 
being  ably  and  efficiently  filled  by  native  men.  In- 
deed, some  of  our  best  Christian  schools  in  India 
have  but  one  or  two  American  missionaries  in  their 
whole  staff  of  teachers,  and  there  are  now  many 
presiding  elders  in  our  native  Christian  Church  who 
have  proven  themselves  able,  efficient,  and  satis- 
factory in  every  respect. 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION 


191 


THE  SERVANT  QUESTION 

Since  my  return  to  America  strange  reports  have 
come  to  my  hearing.  A Methodist  missionary  is 
supposed  by  many  to  be  a man  of  leisure  who  goes 
to  India  on  a fat  salary  and  lives  at  his  ease,  sur- 
rounded by  servants  to  wait  upon  him.  No  greater 
mistake  than  this  could  be  made.  The  Methodist 
missionary  in  India  is  an  overwrought,  overbur- 
dened, careworn  man.  That  he  bears  his  burdens 
and  responsibilities  gladly  and  cheerfully,  as  unto 
the  Lord,  does  not  alter  the  fact  nor  relieve  the 
pressure  which  is  surely  telling  upon  the  constitu- 
tion and  shortening  the  life.  That  he  has  servants 
to  wait  upon  him  is  true.  May  I digress  a moment 
while  I explain  this  servant  question? 

Servants  in  India  are  a necessity.  Not  because 
the  missionary  is  unwilling  to  work,  not  on  account 
of  laziness  or  idleness  on  the  part  of  the  mission- 
ary or  his  wife,  but  for  reasons  which  grow  out  of 
and  are  dependent  upon  the  caste  system  of  India 
and  other  conditions  which  are  peculiar  to  that 
country.  To  illustrate:  You  must  have  water  to 
drink  and  for  cooking  purposes.  Your  cook  will 
not  bring  it — he  will  not  leave  his  kitchen  for  any 
purpose ; the  butler  will  not  bring  it — that  is  not 
his  work ; not  one  of  the  house  servants  will  do  it — 
they  each  have  their  own  peculiar  labor  and  will  do 
but  one  thing;  it  is  their  occupation,  their  religion, 
their  social  standing  among  the  people  of  their 
country,  and — well — it  is  their  caste  ! The  biliishti 


192 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


(water  carrier)  will  bring  water  in  a dressed  goat- 
skin on  his  back  from  some  distant  well,  filling  all 
the  water  chatties  in  your  house  once,  twice,  or 
three  times  per  day,  as  maybe  needful.  But  suppose 
you  refuse  to  be  thus  served.  You  declare  that  you 
cannot  submit  to  having  so  many  servants  about 
you,  and  you  undertake  to  bring  your  own  water. 
Take  a bucket,  in  the  early  morning,  and  start  for 
a distant  well.  You  must  start  early,  as  in  this 
climate  you  cannot  be  out  during  the  middle  of  the 
day  with  impunity.  When  you  arrive  at  the  well  (an 
old-fashioned  dug  well,  with  a broad  brick  wall  all 
around  which  stands  up  four  feet  above  the  surface 
of  the  ground),  before  you  have  time  to  climb  to 
the  top  of  the  brick  wall,  upon  which  you  must 
stand  in  order  to  drop  your  bucket  down  into  the 
well,  several  native  bihishtis  intervene  and,  with 
low  salaams  and  respectful  entreaty,  beg  you  to 
desist.  In  spite  of  this  you  clamber  to  the  top  of 
the  brick  wall  and  lower  your  bucket  into  the  well. 
The  natives  look  upon  all  white-faced  Sahibs  (gen- 
tlemen) as  their  superiors,  if  not  their  lords,  and  for 
this  reason  they  do  not  resist  you  further,  but  stand 
back  in  dismay  while  you  pollute  their  well.  After 
your  departure,  however,  these  same  bihishtis 
gather  about  and  fill  up  the  well  with  soil  and 
stones.  This  is  done  lest  by  any  accident  some 
high-caste  native,  not  knowing  that  the  well  has 
been  polluted  by  the  hand  of  a Christian,  should 
drink  water  from  this  same  well  and  thus  break  his 
caste.  It  may  be  that  there  is  no  other  well  for 


Domingo,  the  Cook,  in  the  Kitchen  of  an  American  Missionary 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION 


195 


some  miles  around,  and  this  may  create  quite  a panic 
for  water,  nevertheless  the  thing  must  be  done — the 
well  is  ruined  for  native  use,  and  forever.  The 
next  day  you  try  again,  and,  finding  this  well  filled 
up,  you  go  to  another.  The  same  result  will  follow, 
until  you  are  compelled  to  engage  a bihishti  to  bring 
your  water  for  you,  which  you  can  do  for  the  nom- 
inal sum  of  from  two  to  four  rupees  (sixty  cents  to  one 
dollar  and  thirty  cents)  a month,  and  without  board. 

Do  you  suggest  that  the  missionary’s  wife  herself 
prepare  the  family  meals,  and  thus  save  the  expense 
of  hiring  a cook?  There  is  no  kitchen  in  the  mission- 
ary home,  no  cook  stove,  and  perhaps  not  even  a 
fireplace,  chimney,  or  stovepipe  hole.  The  kitchen 
is  some  distance  from  the  house,  in  the  back  yard. 
It  is  a small,  dark  room,  with  one  door  and  one  small 
square  hole,  with  wooden  bars  crossing  it,  which 
serves  as  a window.  The  cooking  is  done  on  sev- 
eral little  handmade  mud  stoves.  These  are  made 
in  the  shape  of  a horseshoe,  one  foot  or  less  across 
the  top  and  six  inches  in  depth.  In  the  middle  of 
the  horseshoe  the  wood  or  charcoal  fire  is  made, 
and  on  its  rim,  above  the  fire,  is  placed  the  degcha 
(a  copper  cooking  utensil  about  the  shape  of  an  or- 
dinary tin  basin,  only  deeper,  and  of  graduated 
sizes),  which  contains  whatever  food  is  to  be  cooked. 
Of  course  there  is  no  pipe  to  this  stove,  and  the 
smoke  goes  in  the  face  of  the  cook  and  fills  the 
room.  During  the  hot  season  no  English  or  Amer- 
ican woman  could  cook  in  such  a place  as  this  with- 
out imperiling  her  life. 


196 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


In  some  parts  of  India  the  above-described  hand- 
made cook  stove  has  been  supplanted  by  an  elevated 
fireplace  or  grate,  built  up  with  mortar  and  brick  to 
about  the  height  of  an  American  cook  stove  and 
having  several  round  openings  in  the  upper  surface 
which  reach  down  to  the  open  fireplace  beneath. 
These  are  a decided  improvement  on  the  first- 
described  stove,  but  having  no  chimney,  stovepipe, 
or  other  means  of  escape  for  the  smoke,  they  are 
still  very  unsatisfactory. 

Thus  it  is  with  every  department  of  domestic 
work.  There  are  no  modern  improvements,  no 
machinery,  no  conveniences  of  any  sort.  All  do- 
mestic labor  is  performed  in  the  same  crude  and 
laborious  manner  which  prevailed  in  Bible  times. 
For  our  missionary’s  wife  to  undertake  to  do  her 
own  housework  in  India  would  not  only  shorten  her 
days,  but  would  consume  every  moment  of  her 
time,  every  particle  of  her  strength,  and  would 
thus  render  her  incapable  of  assisting  her  husband 
in  his  missionary  labors  or  of  carrying  on  an  inde- 
pendent mission  work  of  her  own,  while  for  the 
nominal  sum  which  one  would  pay  an  ordinary 
hired  girl  in  America  (say  $2.50,  $3,  or  $4  per  week) 
one  may  support  six,  eight,  or  ten  domestic  servants 
in  India  and  board  none  of  them. 

Besides  this,  for  you  to  do  your  own  work  in  that 
country  offends  the  natives.  They  regard  you  as  a 
low-caste,  mean  individual,  who  has  come  to  their 
country  to  rob  them  of  their  rightful  occupation 
and  means  of  support.  Moreover,  having  the  serv- 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION 


197 


ants  in  your  own  home  affords  another  opportunity 
of  usefulness — you  are  enabled  to  show,  to  at  least 
your  own  servants,  what  a Christian  home  is  like, 
and  to  live  before  them  a Christian  life.  They 
gather  at  your  family  altar  every  day,  hear  the 
Bible  read  and  explained,  and  listen  to  the  prayer 
for  them  as  well  as  for  others.  This  is  the  most 
powerful  of  all  preaching,  and  it  is  a common  thing 
to  see  servants  of  the  missionaries  converted  to  God 
and  living  upright  Christian  lives  through  the  influ- 
ence of  their  missionary  master  and  mistress.  Much 
more  could  be  said  in  regard  to  this  servant  ques- 
tion ; indeed,  a volume  could  be  written  in  justifica- 
tion of  the  practice  of  employing  servants  in  India, 
but  more  is  unnecessary,  except  perhaps  to  intimate 
the  fact  that  the  servants  are  paid  from  the  private 
salary  of  the  missionary,  and  this  expense  therefore 
brings  no  additional  outlay  to  the  Missionary  Society 
in  the  home  land.  The  salary  of  a Methodist  mis- 
sionary in  India  is  about  equivalent  to  the  average 
salary  of  a Methodist  pastor  in  America. 

Many  of  our  English-speaking  churches  in  India 
are  entirely  self-supporting,  paying  the  entire  mis- 
sionary salary,  all  the  incidental  expenses  of  their 
church,  giving  to  the  missionary  cause,  and  in  many 
cases  supporting  native  preachers  and  other  workers 
in  addition ; other  English-speaking  churches  are 
able  to  meet  only  a part  of  their  own  pastor’s  salary, 
the  remainder  being  paid  by  our  Missionary  Society. 

Many  of  our  native  Christian  churches,  also,  are 
self-supporting,  while  others  are  so  in  part. 


198 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


THE  ASSISTANT  MISSIONARY 

In  America  there  are  certain  duties  which  de- 
volve upon  the  wife  of  a Methodist  pastor.  She  is 
supposed  to  fill  a place  in  the  church  and  commu- 
nity which  is  peculiarly  her  own,  and  in  some  cases, 
especially  where  she  has  a family  of  small  children, 
and  ill  health,  she  finds  the  requirements  by  no 
means  light,  and  at  times  the  people  of  her  hus- 
band’s church  seem  to  be  somewhat  exacting.  In 
India,  however,  the  wife  of  the  Methodist  mission- 
ary is  herself  also  a missionary  and  has  her  own 
peculiar  missionary  labors  to  perform,  although  for 
these  services  she  receives  no  separate,  independent 
salary  from  any  source.  True,  a married  mission- 
ary receives  a somewhat  larger  salary  than  the  single 
missionary,  and  at  the  birth  of  each  child  the  salary 
is  again  increased  some  fifteen  or  twenty  rupees,  and 
this  sum  may  be  supposed  to  meet  all  the  actual  re- 
quirements of  his  living  expenses.  It  may  be  that  the 
missionary’s  wife  was  formerly  a regular  missionary, 
sent  out  by  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  So- 
ciety of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  sup- 
ported by  them.  Her  salary  was  then  equal  to  the 
salary  of  any  unmarried  male  missionary  supported 
by  the  parent  board.  On  her  wedding  day,  how- 
ever, she  ceases  to  receive  her  regular  salary  from 
the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  and  on 
that  day  she  becomes  an  “ assistant  missionary”  of 
the  parent  board.  Her  duties  are  designated  by  the 
Conference,  and  she  is  expected  to  report  her  work 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION 


199 


in  the  regular  manner.  Her  missionary  labors  re- 
quire all  her  strength  and  all  her  time,  so  that,  as 
the  little  children  come  to  her  home,  she  is  obliged 
to  hire  an  ayah  (native  nurse)  to  care  for  them. 
Nevertheless,  she  receives  no  compensation  for  her 
missionary  labor  except  in  the  consciousness  of  help- 
ing on  the  great  cause  which  she  has  learned  to  love 
so  dearly. 

Is  her  husband’s  salary  sufficient  to  meet  all  the 
family  needs  ? Yes;  under  ordinary  circumstances 
it  is.  While  both  parties  keep  well  and  strong,  and 
there  are  no  children  to  be  educated,  the  mission- 
ary’s salary  is  sufficient.  If  the  health  of  husband 
or  wife  become  seriously  impaired,  the  parent  board 
will  pay  their  passage  home  to  America,  and  possi- 
bly, in  the  former  case,  the  husband  may  receive 
half  his  regular  salary  during  his  leave  of  absence. 
If,  however,  there  are  children  to  be  educated,  there 
are  no  means  sufficient  to  meet  this  emergency. 
There  comes  a time  when  both  missionary  and  mis- 
sionary assistant  break  down  in  health  and  must  re- 
turn to  their  native  land.  In  this  case  he  must  of 
necessity  take  one  of  the  small  appointments  in  his 
home  Conference.  He  has  been  long  away  from 
home,  and  there  is  now  no  place  for  him  in  his  own 
Conference.  Younger  men,  who  have  been  in  the 
Conference  during  all  the  years  of  his  absence,  have 
crowded  him  out.  He  is  now  broken  in  health. 
During  his  absence  he  has  not  been  cultivating  his 
oratorical  powers,  but  rather  striving  to  simplify  the 
Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  in  such  a manner  as  that  the 


200 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


ignorant  natives  could  understand  the  message. 

o o 

He  is  not  a “ star  preacher;  ” and  the  probabilities 
are  that  before  he  has  been  long  in  his  native  land 
he  will  be  ranked  among  the  superannuated  of  his 
Conference.  In  this  case  he  has  nothing  laid  up, 
and  no  income  sufficient  to  support  himself  and  fam- 
ily. Had  his  wife  also  received  a salary  for  the  work 
which  she  actually  did  for  the  parent  board,  as  an 
assistant  missionary  in  India,  all  this  would  prob- 
ably be  different.  The  injustice  of  such  an  arrange- 
ment must  be  apparent  to  all.  And  yet  I never 
heard  that  any  missionary’s  wife  ever  intimated  a 
desire  to  receive  compensation  for  her  missionary 
toil,  or  dreamed  that  there  could  be  any  injustice  in 
her  being  expected  to  give  her  strength,  time,  and 
labor  to  help  on  the  great  cause  to  which  she  and 
her  husband  have  both  consecrated  their  lives.  On 
the  contrary,  she  feels  it  to  be  a great  privilege  and 
joy  to  be  permitted  to  thus  spend  and  be  spent  for  the 
blessed  Master.  Indeed,  I very  much  doubt  whether 
these  noble,  consecrated,  self-sacrificing  women 
would,  at  first,  and  readily,  accept  a salary  from  the 
parent  board,  even  if  it  were  offered.  And  yet  is 
it  not  the  least  that  we  at  home  can  do,  to  recog- 
nize the  injustice,  the  self-sacrifice,  and  the  heroism 
involved  ? Instead  of  circulating,  or  helping  to  cir- 
culate, a damaging  report  to  the  effect  that  mission- 
aries go  out  to  India  on  a fat  salary,  to  live  at  their 
ease  and  to  be  waited  upon  by  servants,  should  we 
not  appreciate  the  fact  that,  while  our  Missionary 
Society  pays  a moderate,  reasonable,  sufficient 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION  201 

salary  for  the  service  of  one  missionary,  that  Society 
actually  receives  in  return  for  this  one  salary  the 
consecrated,  earnest,  devoted  service  of  two  effi- 
cient missionaries  instead  of  one.  In  the  secular 
world  no  such  thing  would  be  expected  or  endured. 
If  the  husband  is  employed  by  any  firm  in  this  or 
any  other  country,  he  is  paid  for  his  labor,  of  course, 
and  is  paid  a sufficient  sum  to  enable  him  to  support 
his  family,  but  nothing  is  expected  of  his  wife.  If 
he  fill  a chair  in  any  college  or  university,  he  only 
is  expected  to  teach.  If  his  wife  take  a class,  or 
classes,  she  is  paid  for  the  labor  which  she  actually 
performs.  Why  should  not  the  missionary’s  wife 
be  treated  with  equal  courtesy  and  consideration, 
not  to  say  justice?  Perhaps  you’ll  affirm,  in  reply, 
that  the  wives  of  missionaries  are  not  all  efficient 
workers;  that  many  of  them  are  not  even  thor- 
oughly consecrated,  earnest  Christian  women  ; that 
their  work  is  by  no  means  universally  satisfactory 
either  in  quality  or  quantity ; and  that  even  the  most 
efficient  are  liable  to  be  disqualified  for  service  by 
impaired  health,  household  cares,  and  other  domestic 
causes.  All  this  we  readily  concede ; but  is  it  not 
equally  true  that  when  a young  man  presents  him- 
self to  the  Missionary  Society  of  our  Church  as  a 
candidate  for  the  foreign  field  his  wife’s  character 
and  qualifications  are  taken  into  consideration  al- 
most as  much  as  his  own?  And  at  each  Annual 
Conference,  when  the  appointments  are  to  be  made, 
is  it  not  a fact  that  the  qualifications  and  efficiency  of 
the  missionary’s  wife  have  much  to  do  with  the  final 


202 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


decision  ? Certainly  no  reasonable  person  could  re- 
quire that  a salary  be  paid  indiscriminately  to  the 
wife  of  every  missionary  who  is  employed  by  the 
parent  board  of  our  Church.  It  is  only  where  ac- 
tual service  is  rendered,  and  service  which  is  ac- 
ceptable and  satisfactory  to  the  board,  that  we  feel 
compensation  is  due.  Of  course  the  Missionary  So- 
ciety must  always  be  free  to  employ  whom  they  will, 
and  to  be  judge  of  qualifications  and  of  efficiency. 

The  missionary’s  wife,  or  “assistant  missionary,” 
as  she  is  called  by  the  parent  board,  has  charge  of 
all  the  Bible  women  in  connection  with  her  hus- 
band’s church.  They  meet  in  her  home  several 
times  a week,  and  receive  instruction  from  her. 
This  is  practically  a normal  school  on  a small  scale. 
She  teaches  these  Bible  readers  how  to  do  their  work, 
how  to  read  and  expound  the  Scriptures  to  the  na- 
tive women  whom  they  visit  in  their  zenana  homes. 
Often  she  goes  with  them  to  these  zenana  homes, 
teaches  for  them,  sings  and  prays  with  the  native 
women,  and  has  the  whole  under  her  immediate  care 
and  supervision.  Besides  this,  she  is  also  a zenana 
missionary,  and  personally  visits  a large  number  of 
zenana  homes  regularly,  doing  the  same  work  that 
is  done  by  the  regular  zenana  missionary  who  is  sup- 
ported by  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society, 
except  that  she  -does  not  have  assistant  zenana 
workers  under  her  charge.  In  many  cases  she  also 
has  charge  of  native  girls’  schools,  like  the  native 
boys’  schools  which  her  husband  superintends;  and 
she  engages  native  Christian  women  to  teach,  such 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION 


203 


as  have  been  educated  in  girls’  missionary  board- 
ing schools.  She  may  have  from  one  to  a dozen  or 
more  of  these  day  schools  in  the  native  city,  for  the 
daughters  of  heathen  parents.  She  conducts  all  the 
examinations,  keeps  in  touch  with  the  teachers, 
visits  the  schools  often,  and  superintends  the  whole 
work.  In  addition  to  this  she  may  have  in  her  own 
home  a girls’  boarding  school,  where  she  acts  as 
matron,  chief  teacher,  superintendent,  friend, 
mother,  and  guardian  to  all  the  inmates.  It  is  not 
usual  that  the  wives  of  missionaries  do  street  preach- 
ing in  the  public  bazar ; but  some  of  them  do  this 
also,  and  with  great  success. 


THE  MISSIONARY  EVANGELIST 

The  work  of  the  missionary  evangelist,  or  pioneer 
missionary,  in  India  is  different  from  evangelistic 
work  in  America,  although  in  some  cases  it  may 
appear  to  be  similar.  The  missionary  evangelist, 
however,  whose  work  we  are  about  to  describe,  is 
not  an  assistant ; he  does  not  go  to  churches  which 
are  already  organized  and  in  good  working  order 
to  hold  revival  services,  and  thus  render  assistance 
to  the  regular  pastor  in  charge.  He  is  an  inde- 
pendent missionary,  and  a pioneer.  He  may  be  a 
presiding  elder  or  the  regular  pastor  of  some  native 
church,  devoting  himself  to  this  specific  pioneer 
evangelistic  work  during  certain  seasons  of  the  year 
only. 


204 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


In  a canvas-covered  cart  or  wagon,  containing  a 
supply  of  provisions  for  his  own  use,  a small  medi- 
cine chest,  a few  tools,  a change  of  apparel,  a sup- 
ply of  tracts  for  distribution — translated  into  vari- 
ous Hindustani  languages — his  Bible  and  hymnal, 
and  accompanied  by  one  or  two  missionary  associates 
and  perhaps  several  native  Christian  assistants, 
together  with  a servant  or  two,  he  travels  from 
village  to  village,  stopping  at  each  place  a few 
days  or  a week,  as  the  work  opens  up  before  him  or 
as  each  particular  case  may  require,  preaching  the 
Gospel,  distributing  tracts,  organizing  churches  and 
Sabbath  schools,  establishing  missions,  and  healing 
the  sick.  There  may  or  may  not  be  a medical  mis- 
sionary in  the  company ; in  any  case  the  missionary 
evangelist  has  sufficient  knowledge  of  ordinary  dis- 
eases and  their  remedies  to  be  able  to  use  to  advan- 
tage a small  supply  of  simple  drugs,  and  the  poor, 
suffering  natives  are  glad  enough  to  enjoy  the 
benefits  which  they  can  derive  from  these  medi- 
cines. There  are  no  English  physicians  or  sur- 
geons in  any  of  these  native  villages,  nor  are  there 
educated  native  doctors ; so  that  all  the  sick  of  the 
community  are  obliged  to  suffer  on  without  relief 
until  the  disease  spends  itself  and  they  recover,  or 
until  their  sufferings  are  cut  short  by  death. 

There  is  no  farm  life,  no  country  life,  in  India 
which  can  be  compared  with  or  is  in  any  respect 
similar  to  the  farm  and  country  life  of  America. 
The  land  is  owned  by  a few  wealthy  natives.  No 
poor  workingman  is  able  to  own  a foot  of  land  in 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION 


205 


his  own  right.  He  rents  his  farm,  which  is  meas- 
ured by  feet  or  by  rods  and  not  by  acres.  He  also 
rents  a tiny  room,  ten  by  ten  feet  square,  or  twelve 
by  twelve,  in  some  village  near  by,  where  all  the 
farmers  or  country  folk  like  himself  are  crowded 
together  as  closely  as  they  are  found  in  the  great 
cities.  The  farm  which  they  have  rented  is  not 
large  enough  to  afford  them  room  for  a dwelling, 
and  even  if  it  were,  they  dare  not  live  upon  it  on 
account  of  the  many  venomous  serpents  which  in- 
fest the  jungles  and  the  wild  beasts  which  prowl 
about.  Early  in  the  morning  these  farmers,  with 
their  wives,  sous,  and  daughters,  all  who  are  old 
enough  to  work,  go  to  the  little  patch  of  ground 
which  they  have  rented  and  there  they  labor  during 
the  whole  day,  tilling  the  soil  or  gathering  the  grain 
according  to  the  season  of  the  year.  With  the 
ci'udest  kind  of  plow,  merely  two  sticks  fastened 
together,  and  with  the  help  of  two  bullocks,  the  sod 
is  broken  up,  and  the  wheat,  rice,  gram,  or  other 
seed  is  sown.  Even  if  the  season  is  favorable  and 
the  harvest  abundant,  the  poor  farmer  realizes 
but  a meager  sum  for  his  labor,  as  a large  percent- 
age of  his  crop  must  go  to  his  landlord  to  pay  the 
yearly  rental  for  his  mud  hut  and  small  piece  of 
ground. 

During  the  night  the  villagers  for  the  most  part 
sleep  on  the  ground  out  of  doors,  in  the  roads, 
alleys,  and  lanes  of  their  small  country  village  as  it 
is  too  hot  in  the  tiny  little  room  which  constitutes 
their  home,  and  which  has  no  window  or  other 


206 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


means  of  ventilation  except  the  one  door,  and  in 
which  the  family  cooking  has  been  done  during  the 
evening. 

In  some  parts  of  India,  in  Bengal  at  least,  it 
sometimes  happens  that  while  the  villagers  are 
sound  asleep  on  the  ground  their  babies,  one,  two, 
three,  or  more,  are  carried  off  by  a pack  of  jackals, 
which  have  approached  the  village  without  arousing 
the  sleepers  and  snatched  away  the  wee  infants  be- 
fore their  parents  were  aware  of  their  presence.  Of 
course  the  jackals  are  soon  pursued,  and  in  making 
their  flight  the  infants  are  dropped,  usually  badly 
bitten,  scratched,  and  torn.  These  infants,  torn  and 
bleeding  from  the  teeth  and  claws  of  the  jackals,  are 
sometimes  brought  to  the  missionary  evangelist, 
who  tenderly  dresses  the  wounds,  inserting  stitches 
where  necessary,  and  bandaging  the  lacerated  limbs 
as  well  as  possible  with  the  materials  at  hand. 

When  in  such  a village  as  this  the  news  is  circu- 
lated that  the  white-faced  missionaries  are  approach- 
ing, a few  of  its  leading  citizens  will  start  out  on 
foot  to  meet  the  distinguished  guests,  who  are 
usually  tendered  a cordial  welcome  and  treated 
with  royal  courtesy  by  these  simple  country  folk. 
The  sick  people  are  brought  to  him  for  treatment, 
and  while  he  ministers  to  their  needs  and  a few 
suffering  ones  are  relieved,  even  in  part,  his  fame 
spreads  abroad  and  he  is  reckoned  to  be  well-nigh 
a god.  Early  in  the  morning  he  begins  his  song 
and  prayer  service  in  the  open  air  or  under  the 
shade  of  a tree.  This  soon  gives  place  to  the 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION 


207 


preaching  of  the  Gospel,  which  continues  during 
all  the  cool  part  of  the  day  and  late  into  the  night, 
interspersed  with  Gospel  hymns,  prayer,  and  care 
of  the  sick.  Sometimes  a few  only  are  convinced 
of  the  truth  of  the  Christian  religion,  renounce 
their  idols,  profess  their  faith,  and  are  baptized  by 
the  traveling  missionary.  In  some  cases,  however, 
a few  of  the  leading  members  of  the  community 
are  converted  to  God,  and  then  the  revival  spreads 
until  the  whole  village  have  turned  from  their  idols 
and  accepted  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  their  Saviour, 
Redeemer,  and  Friend.  In  either  case,  whether 
only  a few  or  many  have  been  converted  to  God,  it 
is  necessary  to  establish  here  a native  Christian 
church,  to  send  a missionary  to  this  village  who 
may  live  among  the  people,  conduct  regular  reli- 
gious services,  and  instruct  these  people  further  in 
the  Christian  faith,  which  they  have  so  recently 
espoused.  Of  course  they  are  as  yet  very  ignorant 
and  know  but  little  concerning  God’s  word  or  his 
great  plan  of  salvation.  If  left  without  further  in- 
struction, help,  and  sympathy,  the  probabilities  are 
that  those  already  converted  will  be  persuaded  by 
their  heathen  friends  to  return  to  their  heathen  be- 
lief and  idol  worship.  A great  difficulty  confronts 
the  Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  such  cases  as  this.  It  is  impossible  to 
send  a thoroughly  equipped  and  qualified  mission- 
ary to  each  village  of  this  sort.  The  regular 
American  missionaries  of  the  parent  board  and 

also  of  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Societv 
12 


208 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


are  too  few  in  number  to  supply  such  appointments 
as  these.  They  cannot  be  spared  from  the  more 
important  and  responsible  positions  which  they  fill 
in  the  great  centers.  We  have  many  native  mis- 
sionary assistants — pastor-teachers,  local  preachers, 
exhorters,  catechists,  Bible  readers,  zenana  workers, 
etc. — but  all  of  these  are,  for  the  most  part,  fully 
employed.  The  policy  which  has  been  pursued  in 
cases  like  the  above  is  that  of  sending  to  these 
villages  a native  Christian  zenana  worker,  Bible 
reader,  catechist,  or  pastor-teacher;  some  one,  the 
best  available,  who  is  superior  in  education  and 
Christian  character  to  the  people  for  whom  he  or  she 
is  to  labor.  This  is  the  best  economy,  and  it  is  the 
only  thing  to  be  done  under  existing  circumstances ; 
and  yet  it  must  be  apparent  to  all  that  these  country 
villages  where  the  people  have  but  recently  been 
converted  to  God  and  are  still  without  knowledge, 
education  in  divine  things,  or  strength  of  Christian 
character — the  veriest  “babes  in  Christ” — sorely 
need  the  help  and  instruction  of  a strong  mission- 
ary. What  is  to  be  done?  Unless  the  Church 
awaken  to  the  need  and  send  help  speedily — more 
missionaries  and  more  money — the  cause  of  God 
must  suffer  and  much  of  the  ground  already  gained 
will  be  lost.  Who  is  God’s  steward?  Let  him  hear 
the  call  and  obey.  Perhaps  there  is  no  missionary 
work  in  India  which  is  more  interesting,  more  en- 
grossing, more  full  of  promise,  and  altogether  more 
encouraging  than  this  evangelistic  work.  It  has, 
however,  many  hindrances,  many  difficulties,  and 


The  New  Missionary  and  her  Moonshee 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION 


211 


many  disadvantages.  It  cannot  be  carried  on  dur- 
ing all  parts  of  the  year.  The  intense  heat  of  the 
hot  season  and  the  rain  of  the  monsoon  render 
these  tours  hazardous,  if  not  impossible. 

While  this  evangelistic  work  is  carried  on  in 
some  denominations  by  evangelists  whose  work  is 
confined  to  this  field,  it  is  not  by  any  means  pecul- 
iar to  them.  The  regular  missionary  of  the  parent 
board,  the  assistant  missionary  of  the  parent  board, 
the  zenana  missionary  of  the  Woman’s  Foreign 
Missionary  Society,  the  teacher  missionary  of  the 
Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  and  the  med- 
ical missionary  of  both  boards  at  times  engage  in 
this  evangelistic  work.  Indeed,  many  of  them  make 
regular  and  stated  evangelistic  tours  to  the  country 
villages  surrounding  their  missionary  homes. 


MISSIONARIES  OF  THE  WOMAN'S  FOREIGN 
MISSIONARY  SOCIETY  OF  THE  METHODIST 
EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 

Woman’s  work  in  India  embraces  zenana  teach- 
ing, Sunday  schools,  high  schools,  normal  schools, 
boarding  schools,  orphanages,  village  or  evangel- 
istic work,  medical  missions  (including  hospitals, 
dispensaries,  training  schools  for  nurses,  etc.),  and 
every  department  of  Christian  work  found  in  Amer- 
ica or  in  any  Christian  country. 

There  are  three  distinct  classes  of  missionaries 
sent  to  India  by  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary 


212 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church — the 
teacher  missionary,  the  zenana  missionary,  and  the 
medical  missionary. 

Like  the  regular  male  missionary  of  the  parent 
board,  each  of  these  lady  missionaries  must  first 
master,  more  or  less  perfectly,  one  of  the  many 
languages  spoken  by  the  peoples  of  Hindustan. 
To  do  this  one  year  is  usually  allowed,  during  which 
time  the  “ new  ” missionary  makes  her  home  in  an 
established  mission  in  some  center,  where  she  ren- 
ders whatever  assistance  she  may  be  able  in  connec- 
tion with  the  general  work  of  the  mission,  mean- 
while pursuing  her  study  of  the  language  which  she 
has  selected.  Of  course  everything  is  new  and 
strange  to  her,  but  the  zenana  teacher  or  medical 
missionary  with  whom  she  is  making  her  tempo- 
rary home  is  always  willing  and  glad  to  do  her  part 
toward  initiating  the  newcomer,  and  so  she  pro- 
gresses, by  gradual  and  easy  steps,  in  her  study  of 
the  vernacular  and  also  in  knowledge  of  regular 
missionary  methods. 

After  chhota  haziri,  at  about  five  or  six  o’clock  in 
the  morning,  the  new  missionary,  rested  and  looking 
fresh  in  her  thin  white  dress,  may  be  seen  with  her 
books  and  pencil,  sitting  on  the  shady  side  of  the  house 
in  the  deep  veranda,  in  company  with  her  moonshce 
(the  native  Mohammedan  who  teaches  the  Hindu- 
stani language),  or  pundit  (the  Brahmin  who  instructs 
you  in  Marathee  or  Gujarathee).  She  is  struggling 
with  one  of  these  strange  foreign  tongues,  and  will 
continue  her  study  for  one,  two,  or  three  hours. 


A Moonshee  (Mohammedan  Teacher) 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION 


215 


We  need  not  disturb  her.  Here  she  spends  her 
mornings  evei'y  day  with  her  teacher  until  she  be- 
come sufficiently  proficient  in  the  language  of  her 
choice  to  take  charge  of  an  independent  mission. 


THE  MISSIONARY  TEACHER  OF  THE  WOMAN'S 
FOREIGN  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY 

Having  passed  the  required  examination  in  the 
vernacular,  our  new  missionary  teacher  now  takes 
over  charge  of  the  school  or  schools  to  which  she 
has  been  appointed  by  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society.  It  may  be  that  the  teacher  pre- 
viously in  charge  has  been  removed  by  death,  or 
has  been  obliged  to  return  to  America  on  sick  leave, 
and  this  new  missionary  has  been  appointed  to  fill 
the  vacant  place.  Otherwise  it  may  be  that  the 
field  to  which  she  has  been  appointed  is  a new  one 
and  the  school  has  not  yet  been  organized.  In  the 
latter  case  she  rents  a bungalow  (large  English  resi- 
dence), with  a more  or  less  extensive  compound 
(grounds)  surrounding  it.  The  location  of  this 
building  is  a matter  of  considerable  importance,  as 
it  is  to  serve  the  double  purpose  of  a missionary 
home  and  a Christian  girls’  boarding  school.  It 
must  not  be  too  far  from  the  native  Christian 
church  nor  too  near  to  the  native  city.  It  should 
be,  above  all  things,  situated  in  a healthful  part  of 
the  English  town. 

Correct  legal  papers  of  agreement  must  be  drawn 


216 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


up  between  the  native  landlord  and  the  missionary 
teacher,  otherwise  there  may  be,  later  on,  dispute 
and  disagreement  as  to  the  monthly  rental  agreed 
upon  between  the  parties.  When  feasible,  how- 
ever, this  property  is  purchased  by  the  mission,  in 
which  case  any  such  misunderstanding  with  native 
landlord  is  obviated  and  many  advantages  are 
gained.  In  either  case  the  house  must  now  be  fur- 
nished. In  some  parts  of  India  the  floors  will  be 
matted  by  native  men,  who  bring  to  the  house  the 
raw  material,  reed-grass  or  split  bamboo,  braid  it 
to  fit  each  particular  room,  and  put  it  down  as  fast 
as  it  is  ready. 

Heavy  furniture  for  the  house  may  be  rented  or 
purchased.  Often  second-hand  furniture  is  pur- 
chased at  very  reasonable  rates. 

Servants  are  engaged  even  before  the  house  is 
furnished.  The  news  is  soon  spread  abroad  that  an 
American  missionary  lady  is  establishing  a home, 
and  servants  come  from  all  directions  presenting 
their  credentials  and  seeking  service.  Domingo, 
the  cook,  is  the  first  necessity;  then  come  the  “ boot- 
lair  ” (butler),  and  the  hamal , who  washes  dishes, 
cleans  lamps,  dusts  furniture,  attends  the  door,  etc. ; 
the  dhobie  (laundryman),  ayah  (chambermaid  and 
nurse),  the  malce  (gardener),  and  the  bihishti  (water 
carrier).  There  is  always  difficulty  in  securing  the 
service  of  competent,  trustworthy,  and  efficient 
servants  in  the  beginning.  It  requires  experience 
to  enable  one  to  examine  the  credentials  and  to 
judge  correctly  as  to  the  qualifications  of  each  serv- 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION 


217 


ant ; but  soon  or  late  the  new  missionary  will  be 
almost  certain  to  find  the  kind  of  servants  that  she 
needs,  and  such  as  will  remain  with  her  for  years. 

When  the  house  is  properly  furnished  and  settled, 
and  the  servants  have  adjusted  themselves  to  their 
several  duties  and  learned  the  wishes  and  methods 
of  their  new  mistress,  and  all  things  have  been 
made  clean  and  sweet  and  wholesome,  the  pupils 
begin  to  gather  from  all  directions,  some  even  com- 
ing from  distant  towns  and  villages.  They  are  the 
children  of  native  Christian  parents,  and  are  taken 
into  this  American  Christian  home  as  boarders  and 
inmates.  Some  of  the  children  are  orphans,  and 
are  adopted  by  the  mission.  Others  are  half  orphans, 
and  are  given  to  the  mission  by  the  one  surviving 
parent. 

The  next  necessity  which  arises  is  that  of  engag- 
ing competent  native  Christian  teachers  for  each  of 
the  various  departments  in  this  growing  school. 
These  are  usually  chosen  from  the  advanced  pupils 
in  the  older  Methodist  girls’  boarding  schools  in 
other  parts  of  India.  These  Christian  teachers  may 
be  of  native  (Hindustan  or  Mohammedan),  Eura- 
sian, or  English  parentage.  The  majority  of  these 
assistant  teachers  are  Eurasian  and  wear  English 
dress,  but  they  all  live  in  European  style  and  sit  at 
the  same  table  with  the  American  missionary  who 
has  established  the  home,  organized  the  school,  and 
who  presides  as  mistress,  chief  teacher,  superin- 
tendent, mother,  and  friend.  It  devolves  upon  her 
to  decide  all  matters  of  importance  and  to  maintain 


218 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


strict  discipline  among  both  pupils  and  teachers. 
She  determines  at  what  hour  they  shall  all  retire  to 
rest  at  night,  at  what  hour  they  shall  arise  in  the 
morning,  how  much  time  shall  be  given  to  recrea- 
tion, how  much  to  study,  and  what  proportion  shall 
be  devoted  to  domestic  service.  All  letters  coming 
to  and  going  from  this  home  must  be  first  opened 
and  read  by  her. 

The  children  in  this  school  are  required  to  live  in 
native  style.  There  are  no  chairs  or  benches  in 
the  recitation  room  or  rooms.  The  children  all  sit 
upon  the  floor  in  real  oriental  style,  with  legs  crossed 
and  heads  bowed.  They  are  all  attired  in  pure 
white  sari,  and  none  of  them  are  allowed  to  speak 
the  English  language  or  to  take  up  English  studies 
until  after  they  have  passed  the  matriculation  exam- 
ination in  their  own  native  tongue.  At  night  they  all 
sleep  together  in  a large  dormitory,  or,  if  the  school 
be  large,  there  may  be  several  of  these.  In  some 
well-established  schools  these  little  native  children 
are  provided  with  native  cots.  In  many  cases  they 
are  not  allowed  this  luxury,  but  each  little  girl  wraps 
her  sari  about  her  in  native  style,  and  lies  down  to 
rest  upon  a hay  mattress  or  a folded  comfortable  on 
the  floor.  In  some  schools  the  children  do  all,  or 
nearly  all,  the  domestic  work.  They  live  on  native 
food,  curry  and  rice,  principally.  This  they  cook 
themselves,  the  girls  taking  turns  by  the  day  or  by 
the  week.  They  laundry  their  own  sari,  have  en- 
tire charge  of  the  dormitories  and  schoolrooms,  and 
in  many  cases  serve  the  missionary  and  her  staff  of 


The  Girls’  Boarding  School  of  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  Bombay,  India 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION 


221 


teachers  at  table,  washing  the  dishes  afterward,  and 
doing  many  other  domestic  services  in  the  mission- 
ary home. 

Of  course  it  is  impossible  to  describe  minutely 
the  exact  kind  and  amount  of  work  which  devolves 
upon  pupils  in  these  schools,  as  each  particular 
school  has  rules  peculiar  to  itself.  Indeed,  in  some 
of  the  Church  of  England  mission  schools,  and 
perhaps  in  those  of  other  denominations  also,  it  is 
not  expected  of  the  pupils  that  they  do  any  do- 
mestic work  in  the  apartments  of  the  missionary  or 
of  the  teachers.  In  all  such  schools,  however,  the 
pupils  are  taught  ordinary  cooking  and  everything 
which  pertains  to  the  care  of  an  Indian  woman’s 
home ; and  each  little  girl  is  required  to  do  her 
own  sewing.  In  some  schools  the  wheat  is  pur- 
chased unground  and  the  little  girls  are  required  to 
grind  it,  according  to  native  custom,  in  the  early 
morning,  with  the  native  mill,  such  as  was  used  in 
Bible  times. 

In  addition  to  this  they  have  their  regular  hours 
for  study,  for  recitation,  and  for  play.  On  the  Sab- 
bath day  they  all  march  together,  headed  by  their 
teacher  or  teachers,  to  the  regular  services  of  the 
native  Christian  church  and  to  Sabbath  school. 

In  addition  to  the  care  and  superintendency  of 
this  home  and  boarding  school  by  our  missionary 
teacher  of  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society, 
there  may  be  several  girls’  day  schools  in  the  native 
city  which  she  superintends  and  has  entire  man- 
agement of,  such  as  those  we  have  described  above 


222 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


as  being  under  the  care  of  the  regular  male  mis- 
sionary of  the  parent  board. 

The  policy  of  keeping  the  pupils  in  these  native 
Christian  girls’  boarding  schools  in  native  costume 
and  requiring  them  to  live  in  native  style  is  based 
upon  two  conditions  and  has  two  objects  in  view, 
namely,  in  cases  where  these  girls  continue  in 
school  a sufficient  length  of  time  to  qualify  them  to 
serve  as  Bible  readers,  zenana  workers,  or  assistant 
teachers  their  salary  must  of  necessity  be  small,  and 
in  no  case  can  it  be  sufficient  to  maintain  them  in 
comfortable  English  homes  provided  with  chairs, 
tables,  beds,  and  all  the  furniture,  crockery,  pic- 
tures, etc.,  which  go  to  make  up  an  ordinary  Eng- 
lish or  American  home.  It  will  be,  however,  suffi- 
ciently large  to  maintain  them  comfortably  in  native 
style.  If  during  school  life  they  are  taught  to  live 
in  English  style,  with  all  the  luxuries  of  English 
home  life,  they  will  become  discontented,  restive, 
and  unhappy  under  the  privations  that  must  be 
theirs  in  future  life.  In  case  these  pupils  marry, 
before  or  after  the  conclusion  of  their  school  course, 
the  result  is  the  same.  They  must  marry  native  or 
Eurasian  men,  who  receive  a salary  far  too  small 
to  maintain  them  comfortably  in  English  style. 

The  second  principle  upon  which  this  policy  is 
based  involves,  to  the  Missionary  Society,  a question 
of  economy.  The  amount  of  money  in  the  mission- 
ary treasury  is  not  sufficient  to  educate  a large  num- 
ber of  pupils,  if  they  are  to  be  maintained  in  English 
style  during  their  school  days.  There  is  a very 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION 


223 


large  number  of  children  of  native  Christian  parent- 
age who  desire  the  advantages  of  Christian  educa- 
tion,  but  whose  parents  are  able  to  pay  little  or  noth- 
ing for  it.  There  is  also  a large  number  of  orphans 
or  half  orphans  to  whom  a Christian  boarding 
school  is  a boon  indeed.  The  question  to  be  con- 
sidered is,  simply,  is  it  better,  with  the  means 
available,  to  receive  into  our  girls’  boarding  schools 
a small  number  of  pupils,  to  whom  we  will  supply 
all  the  comforts  (to  them  luxuries)  of  a properly 
equipped  American  girls’  boarding  school,  or,  on 
the  other  hand,  shall  we  maintain  these  native 
girls  in  native  style — thereby  economizing  our 
money — and  thus  make  it  possible  to  accommodate 
a very  much  larger  number  of  pupils?  On  all  ac- 
counts it  is  deemed  wiser  to  follow  the  latter  policy ; 
and  thus  our  mission  schools  are  crowded  with 
pupils,  and  large  numbers  of  native  girls  who  other- 
wise must  remain  in  ignorance  are  housed,  clothed, 
taught,  and  fitted  for  lives  of  usefulness  and 
independence. 


THE  ZENANA  MISSIONARY  OF  THE  WOMAN'S 
FOREIGN  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY 

When  the  zenana  missionary  has  completed  her 
term  of  apprenticeship,  and  has  successfully  passed 
the  Conference  examination  in  the  vernacular,  she 
is  given  over  charge  of  the  independent  mission  to 
which  she  has  been  appointed  by  the  Woman’s 
Foreign  Missionary  Society. 


224 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


As  in  the  case  of  our  teacher  missionary,  this 
may  be  an  old,  well-established  mission  left  vacant 
by  death  or  removal,  or  it  may  be  a new  field  where 
she  is  expected  to  establish  zenana  mission  work. 
In  the  latter  case,  property  suited  to  the  purpose 
which  she  has  in  view  must  be  rented  or  purchased, 
servants  engaged,  furniture  secured,  and  native  or 
Eurasian  zenana  missionary  assistants  engaged. 

These  assistants  are  usually  called  from  older 
missions  in  other  parts  of  India,  and  are  taken,  as 
were  the  assistant  teachers,  from  among  the  senior 
pupils  of  our  native  Christian  girls’  boarding 
schools. 

To  each  of  these  assistant  zenana  workers  a 
stipend  of  ten  rupees  per  month,  with  board,  is 
considered  a good  and  sufficient  salary.  In  some 
missions,  however,  a less  sum  than  this  is  paid  and 
in  some  a larger  amount. 

In  these  zenana  missionary  homes  chhota  haziri  is 
usually  served  at  five,  five-thirty,  or  six  o’clock  in 
the  morning,  the  zenana  missionary  and  her  assist- 
ants coming  down  to  the  dining  room  and  partaking 
of  their  little  breakfast  together  as  any  other  meal 
is  served.  Immediately  after  the  tea  and  toast  the 
missionary  and  her  assistants  drive  to  the  native 
city  in  their  missionary  wagon  or  carriage,  a large 
covered  rig,  accommodating  six  or  eight  persons. 
Arriving  at  some  central  point  in  the  native  city, 
or  driving  up  and  down  through  the  narrow  streets, 
the  zenana  workers  separate,  each  going  to  her 
respective  zenana  home  where  she  is  to  instruct  the 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION 


225 


zenana  women.  She  is  supposed  to  teach  these 
women  knitting,  sewing,  fancywork,  reading, 
writing,  spelling,  and  all  the  rudiments  of  an 
ordinary  education.  Her  principal  object,  how- 
ever, is  to  teach  them  the  truths  of  our  holy 
Christian  religion ; and  with  this  end  in  view  the 
Bible  is  her  chief  text-book.  She  may  have  several 
pupils  in  one  home.  Perhaps  the  master  of  the 
house  has  several  wives ; he  also  may  have  several 
sons  who  are  married,  and  his  daughters-in-law 
make  their  home  with  him. 

All  natives  of  India  are  bitterly  prejudiced 
against  Christian  missionaries.  They  believe  them 
to  be  spies  and  proselyters  who  have  been  hired 
by  the  English  or  American  government  to  come 
to  India  for  the  express  purpose  of  breaking  the 
caste  of  the  native  and  of  leading  away  his  wife 
and  daughter  from  their  home,  from  their  religious 
belief,  from  their  caste,  and  from  all  that  they  hold 
sacred.  He  holds  the  Englishman  in  awe  and 
ostensible  respect,  as  his  master  and  conqueror, 
but  at  heart  he  hates  and  despises  him.  He  knows 
very  little  about  the  American,  but  likes  him  better 
than  the  Englishman  on  general  principles,  not 
knowing  why. 

Nevertheless,  he  has,  after  much  persuasion,  con- 
sented to  allow  the  zenana  missionary  to  visit  his 
wives  and  daughters  at  stated  hours  on  certain  days 
of  the  week,  regularly,  for  the  purpose  of  teaching 
them.  Why  does  he  do  this?  His  women  folk 
are  too  high-caste  and  too  wealthy  to  be  allowed  to 


226 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


soil  their  hands  with  work.  They  have  servants 
who  wait  upon  them — bathing  the  person,  dressing 
the  hair,  and  making  the  toilet  altogether.  They 
cannot  read  or  write.  Many  of  them  have  never 
seen  a paper  or  a book.  They  are  not  allowed  to 
go  outside  of  the  four  great  walls  which  surround 
his  courtyard.  There  is  no  variety  in  their  lives, 
no  change  to  break  the  dull  monotony.  They  see 
no  strange  faces,  they  hear  little  or  no  news,  they 
have  little  to  think  about  except  their  own  miseries 
and  ailments.  Therefore  they  naturally  grow 
restive,  irritable,  jealous,  and  hysterical.  They 
think  so  much  about  every  ache  and  pain  as  to 
develop  each  particular  ache  and  pain  into  a disease, 
in  their  distorted  imagination.  Thus  this  wealthy 
man’s  family  becomes  troublesome.  He  is  tried 
and  driven  to  his  wit’s  end,  not  knowing  what  to 
do  with  or  for  his  women  folk.  He  hears  about 
the  zenana  missionary  lady.  He  fears  her,  dis- 
trusts her,  and  perhaps  even  despises  her ; but  she 
would  teach  his  wives  and  his  daughters-in-law 
fancy  work ; she  would  amuse  and  interest  them ; 
she  would  serve  as  a new  toy  (they  never  have  any 
toys),  and  so  he  decides  to  allow  the  zenana  mis- 
sionary to  make  regular  visits  to  his  home  for  the 
purpose  of  instructing  his  wives  and  daughters-in- 
law.  Before  consenting  to  visit  his  home,  however, 
our  zenana  missionary  stipulates  that  she  be  allowed 
to  teach  the  Bible  to  the  women  of  the  household. 
This,  also,  he  finally  agrees  to,  but  takes  precaution 
against  its  consequences. 


A Wealthy  High-caste  Zenana  Lady  of  Bombay 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION 


229 


He  instructs  his  wives  and  daughters  that  he  has 
invited  the  zenana  missionary  lady  from  America 
or  from  England  to  visit  them ; that  she  will  teach 
them  how  to  sew,  how  to  knit,  how  to  embroider, 
and  how  to  do  all  sorts  of  beautiful  fancyworlc. 
Then  he  tells  them  that  she  is  a spy  and  a pros- 
elyter,  and  that  they  must  beware  of  her ; that  she 
has  been  hired  by  the  English  or  American  gov- 
ernment to  come  to  India  for  the  purpose  of  robbing 
them  of  their  religious  beliefs,  idols,  home,  friends, 
and  caste.  He  assures  them  that  he  has  consented 
for  her  to  visit  them  in  order  that  they  may  learn 
the  fancywork  and  because  he  feels  that  he  can 
trust  them.  They  must  not  believe  anything  she 
may  tell  them  about  her  Christian  religion ; they 
must  not  believe  the  Bible  she  reads  to  them,  be- 
cause it  is  all  false  and  will  lead  them  astray. 
Thus  are  the  minds  of  the  little  native  women 
poisoned  and  prejudiced  against  their  zenana  mis- 
sionary teacher  before  they  have  ever  seen  her  face. 
The  day  for  her  visit  is  arranged  for,  the  hour  ap- 
pointed, and  all  the  little  women  of  the  native 
household  are  in  readiness  for  her  reception.  They 
have  donned  their  best  silk  garments  and  wear  all 
their  jewels.  They  are  in  a flutter  of  excitement 
in  anticipation  of  the  strange  guest. 

Of  course  they  tender  her  a most  warm  and  cor- 
dial reception.  A native  woman  is  always  digni- 
fied, always  courteous,  the  very  soul  of  politeness ; 
she  is  incapable  of  rudeness. 

The  zenana  missionary  does  little  in  the  way  of 


230 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


teaching  on  the  occasion  of  her  first  visit ; she  must 
first  become  personally  acquainted  with  her  pupils. 
She  makes  herself  generally  agreeable,  answering 
all  their  questions,  the  first  of  which  will  probably 
be,  “ How  old  are  you?  ” Then,  “ Are  you  mar- 
ried? ” If  she  answer  in  the  negative,  they  do  not 
believe  her.  It  is  incredible  to  the  native  of  India 
that  any  man  or  woman  should  arrive  at  the  age  of 
maturity  unmarried.  If  she  answer  in  the  affirma- 
tive, the  next  question  is,  ‘ ‘ How  many  children  have 
you?  ” All  questions  are  answered  kindly.  The 
zenana  missionary  allows  her  new  pupils  to  examine 
the  buttons  on  her  dress,  her  breastpin,  her  cuffs, 
and  all  the  details  of  her  European  costume.  This 
is  not  considered  rude  among  Indians,  and,  of 
course,  English  dress  is  a great  curiosity  in  such  a 
home  as  this.  When  she  becomes  a little  better  ac- 
quainted some  of  the  younger  women  may  take 
down  her  hair  and  toy  with  it  as  she  goes  on  with 
her  lesson.  They  are  sweet,  gentle  women,  with  a 
delicate  sense  of  propriety  and  a dignity  so  innate, 
so  pretty,  and  so  genuine  that  even  the  most  refined 
American  or  English  woman  is  liable  to  feel  some 
strange  sense  of  embarrassment  in  the  presence  of 
a company  of  such  charming  creatures ; for,  indeed, 
they  are  charming  in  person  and  in  manner,  and  as 
you  come  to  know  them  intimately  you  will  find 
that  they  are  just  as  sweet  and  just  as  charming  in 
character,  except  for  the  strange  heathen  beliefs  and 
prejudices,  which  are  the  fault  of  their  birthplace 
and  surroundings  rather  than  their  own. 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION 


231 


The  new  teacher  finds  her  pupils  bright,  intelli- 
gent, quick  to  learn,  and  altogether  interesting. 
They  ask  eager  questions  and  remember  readily. 
They  have  intelligent  minds  and  are  able  to  reason 
out  and  to  answer ; so  that  the  zenana  worker  must 
be  a clever  woman  in  order  to  give  them  logical  and 
reasonable  answers  and  conclusions  to  their  argu- 
ments. When  the  heat  becomes  intense,  at  half 
past  nine,  ten,  ten-thirty,  or  eleven  o’clock  A.  M., 
according  to  the  season  of  the  year  and  the  part  of 
India  where  this  work  is  being  carried  on,  our 
zenana  missionary  workers  gather  into  the  mission- 
ary carriage  and  return  to  their  home,  where  break- 
fast is  in  waiting.  After  breakfast  family  prayers 
are  conducted,  the  servants  attending,  as  in  the  case 
of  the  regular  missionary  of  the  parent  board. 
Breakfast  and  family  worship  over,  the  zenana  mis- 
sionary gives  instruction  to  the  servants  as  to  the 
household  duties  of  the  day,  meets  her  zenana  mis- 
sionary assistants,  instructs  them  as  to  their  various 
tasks,  or  listens  to  the  report  of  each.  After  this  she 
repairs  to  her  room  for  the  purpose  of  letter  or  re- 
port writing.  At  one  or  two  o’clock  P.  M.  tiffin  is 
served,  after  which  the  zenana  missionary  and  her 
assistants  may  have  a Bible  reading  together  or  a 
prayer  service,  or  they  may  take  a rest  for  half  an 
hour  or  so. 

At  four,  four-thirty,  or  five  o’clock  P.  M.  the  mis- 
sionary carriage  again  waits  in  front  of  our  zenana 
missionary  bungalow , and  presently  the  zenana  mis- 
sionary and  her  assistants  start  out  again  for  other 


232 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


zenana  homes,  where  they  are  to  teach,  and  from 
which  they  do  not  return  until  six,  seven,  or  eight 
o’clock  in  the  evening,  according  to  the  season  of 
the  year  and  to  the  part  of  India  in  which  they  are 
living. 

After  their  return  the  butler  announces,  “ Khana 
taiyar  hai , Miss  Sahib”  (Dinner  is  ready,  Miss  Sir). 
After  dinner  there  may  be  a church  service  to  at- 
tend, or  the  zenana  missionary  may  meet  her  as- 
sistants, hear  their  reports,  and  instruct  them  in  the 
best  methods  of  expounding  the  Holy  Scriptures 
and  of  winning  the  souls  of  zenana  women  to  Christ. 

In  the  beginning  the  work  of  the  zenana  mission- 
ary is  very  disheartening,  but  as  these  earnest,  con- 
secrated women  persevere,  going  from  house  to 
house  and  spending  one,  two,  or  three  hours  daily 
in  each  home,  teaching  these  poor,  imprisoned,  but 
really  gentle  and  lovely  women  the  truths  of  our 
blessed  Gospel,  the  seed  is  sown  in  good  ground 
and  must  ere  long  bring  forth  an  abundant  har- 
vest. The  minds  of  these  zenana  women  are  far 
too  fertile,  their  judgment  too  clear,  and  their  rea- 
soning faculties  too  bright  for  them  to  be  long  de- 
ceived. The  day  comes  when  their  judgments  are 
convinced  of  the  truth  of  the  Christian  religion,  and 
when  this  at  length  happens  there  is  no  more  rest 
for  the  little  woman  until  she  has  taken  up  her  cross, 
left  all,  and  followed  Christ.  It  means  much  foi 
her  to  do  this,  but  she  has  the  courage  of  her  con- 
victions. Her  mind  is  no  sooner  convinced  than 
her  heart  responds,  and  she  soon  becomes  willing 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION 


233 


to  sacrifice  all  that  she  may  gain  Christ.  She  an- 
nounces to  her  husband  and  family  the  fact  that  she 
has  espoused  the  cause  of  her  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and 
fully  believes  in  the  Christian  religion,  and  wishes 
to  become  a Christian  herself.  It  is  a bold  thing- 
for  her  to  make  such  an  announcement  in  her 
heathen  home.  The  zenana  missionary  teacher  is 
now  advised  that  her  visits  must  be  discontinued. 
The  little  pupil  is  locked  up  in  a small,  dark  room 
and  is  scourged  with  many  stripes  daily  in  the  hope 
that  she  will  soon  renounce  her  new  faith  and  de- 
clare her  intention  of  returning  to  the  faith  of  her 
family.  This,  however,  she  does  not  do.  She  is 
firm.  She  bears  her  torture  with  fortitude,  in  silence, 
and  with  the  utmost  patience  receives  all  harsh 
words  and  cruel  treatment.  She  is,  perhaps,  half 
starved  and  obliged  to  suffer  unutterable  tortures. 
Alone,  without  the  zenana  missionary  teacher,  who 
has  come  to  be  her  truest  friend,  without  the  privi- 
lege of  making  known  her  sufferings  to  any  sympa- 
thizing soul,  she  weeps  and  prays  in  her  dark  and 
solitary  room.  Finally,  however,  she  makes  her 
escape,  or  perhaps  is  beaten,  kicked,  and  thrust  out 
into  the  street  at  the  dead  of  night  because  she  will 
not  yield.  She  is  a stranger  in  the  outside  world. 
She  never  before  stood  on  the  street  of  a city  out- 
side the  high  walls  of  her  husband’s  house.  All 
seems  strange  to  her,  and  she  is  timid  and  alarmed. 
At  length,  however,  in  her  fear  and  desperation,  she 
inquires  of  some  passing  woman  the  way  to  the  mis- 
sionary bungalow.  Everybody  knows  where  it  is. 


234 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


the  zenana  missionary  home,  and  she  is  soon  di- 
rected aright.  With  fear  and  trembling  she  makes 
her  way  to  the  home  of  her  teacher  friend.  At  last 
she  stands  at  the  door,  her  heart  throbbing  with 
mingled  feelings  of  fear  and  joy.  Timidly  she 
knocks,  and  is  ushered  into  the  presence  of  her 
teacher,  at  whose  feet  she  falls,  convulsed  with 
sobs.  She  soon  tells  her  story,  and  is  allowed  to 
remain  in  the  missionary  home,  at  least  for  the 
present.  Perhaps  her  friends  will  come  for  her 
within  a few  hours  and  tear  her  away  by  force,  only 
to  renew  their  beatings  and  starvation,  or  perhaps 
they  will  allow  her  to  remain  with  the  zenana  mis- 
sionary, threatening  her  life  if  she  should  ever  re- 
turn to  her  home  or  be  found  seeking  an  interview 
with  any  member  of  her  husband’s  family.  If  she 
be  a mother,  she  can  never  see  her  children  again. 
Her  family  consider  that  she  has  disgraced  them 
all,  broken  her  caste,  and  ruined  herself  and  them. 

In  the  Church  of  England  Zenana  Missionary 
Home,  of  Krishnagar,  Bengal,  there  are  ten, 
twelve,  or  more  of  these  women,  who  have  either 
been  violently  driven  from  their  homes  in  the  man- 
ner above  described  or  who  have  made  their  escape 
by  stealth,  and  who  are  now  glad  to  labor  in  any 
way  to  maintain  themselves  while  they  study  the 
blessed  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  with  the  hope  that 
some  day  they  may  be  able  to  go  to  the  women  of 
their  own  caste  and  instruct  them  in  the  blessed  re- 
ligion which  they  have  espoused  and  for  which  they 
have  suffered  so  much  and  forsaken  all  else. 


A Zenana  Missionary  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  Her  Assistants  in  Bombay 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION 


237 


I was  in  that  home  when  one  of  these  little 
women,  who  had  been  separated  from  her  three 
children  for  a period  of  three  or  four  years,  was  per- 
mitted to  meet  her  eldest  son.  During  all  these 
years  she  had  never  seen  any  member  of  her  fam- 
ily, except  her  father,  who  paid  her  occasional 
visits.  Her  mother-heart  longed  for  her  children, 
and  whenever  her  father  came  to  see  her  she  had 
begged  him  to  bring  her  children  that  she  might 

OO  O C) 

look  into  their  faces  once  again.  Her  father  in- 
variably refused  this  request,  but  at  length  he  did 
bring  her  eldest  son,  and  I had  the  privilege  of  wit- 
nessing that  sad,  glad  meeting.  The  little  woman 
was  too  overjoyed  for  words.  She  pressed  her  first- 
born to  her  heart  and  wept  and  wept  until  everybody 
present  was  in  tears.  Her  father  allowed  the 

son  to  remain  with  his  mother  for  one  half  hour 
only,  having  previously  stipulated  that  not  a word 
should  be  spoken  in  regard  to  the  Christian  religion. 
At  the  expiration  of  the  half  hour  the  parting  came, 
and  it  was  so  sad  and  full  of  pain  to  both  parties 
that  we  could  not  help  doubting  whether  it  were  not 
better  for  her  never  to  see  her  son  rather  than  to  see 
him  for  so  short  a time  and  under  such  restrictions. 

Do  not  suppose  from  the  above  that  the  zenana 
missionary  seeks  to  break  up  the  home  of  the  native 
zenana  woman,  or  that  she  endeavors  by  any  means 
to  induce  her  to  forsake  home  and  family.  On 
the  contrary,  the  zenana  missionary  makes  use  of 
every  effort  in  her  power,  every  argument  and  every 
influence  she  possesses,  to  bring  about  harmony  be- 


238 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


tween  the  zenana  woman  who  has  declared  her  faith 
in  the  Christian  religion  and  her  heathen  family,  and 
to  establish  peace  in  the  zenana  home.  Failing  in 
this,  when  the  heathen  parents,  husband,  and  friends 
of  the  little  woman,  feeling  outraged  and  disgraced 
by  her  change  of  faith,  torture,  beat,  and  starve  her 
until  her  life  is  imperiled,  and  she,  in  her  despera- 
tion, makes  her  escape  from  her  place  of  torture  and 
imprisonment  and  flees  for  refuge  to  the  missionary 
home,  or  is  thrust  out  from  her  home  violently, 
perhaps  in  the  dead  of  night,  and  afterward  finds 
her  way  to  the  zenana  missionary  bungalow;  in  such 
cases  as  these  the  missionary  extends  to  her  not 
only  sympathy  and  words  of  advice,  comfort,  and 
tenderness,  but  gladly  gives  her  the  shelter  and 
protection  which  she  so  much  needs. 


THE  MEDICAL  MISSIONARY  OF  THE  WOMAN'S 
FOREIGN  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY 

Like  the  teacher  and  the  zenana  missionary,  the 
medical  missionary  of  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society  must  serve  as  an  apprentice  in  some 
well-established  medical  mission  for  a year  or  more, 
studying  the  native  language,  acquainting  herself 
with  the  methods  of  medical  mission  work,  and  be- 
coming familiar  with  the  diseases  peculiar  to  India 
and  with  their  treatment. 

At  the  expiration  of  this  time,  having  passed  the 
required  Conference  examinations,  she  is  appointed 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION 


239 


to  an  independent  medical  mission,  where,  perhaps, 
she  takes  over  charge  of  a missionary  hospital  for 
women  and  children,  a missionary  dispensary  for 
women  and  children,  and  a medical  missionary 
training  school  for  nurses;  or  it  may  be,  as  in 
the  case  of  the  teacher  and  zenana  missionaries, 
that  there  is  a new  field,  and  the  hospital,  dispen- 
sary, and  training  school  for  nurses  are  to  be 
started,  organized,  and  established  by  herself.  In 
the  latter  case,  after  the  property  for  the  medical 
mission  has  been  selected  and  rented  or  purchased, 
the  house  or  houses  furnished,  the  servants  en- 
gaged, and  all  things  put  in  order,  native  and  Eura- 
sian women,  old  and  young,  gather  from  all  direc- 
tions, applying  to  be  received  as  student  nurses  in 
this  medical  missionary  training  school.  It  re- 
quires considerable  tact,  skill,  and  judgment  to 
discriminate  wisely  between  these  applicants,  and 
to  receive  into  the  school  only  the  most  intelligent 
and  trustworthy — such  as  will  develop  into  efficient 
and  reliable  medical  assistants. 

These  student  nurses,  for  the  most  part,  are 
wholly  without  education.  Some  of  them,  perhaps, 
are  native  midwives,  versed  in  all  the  barbarous 
treatments  and  remedial  agents  employed  by  the 
unlettered  heathen  doctors  in  cases  of  confinement 
as  well  as  in  medical  and  surgical  cases.  To  dis- 
abuse their  ignorant,  prejudiced,  and  superstitious 
minds  of  all  the  errors  already  learned  is  a stupen- 
dous task,  and  yet  it  is  more  important  that  these 
midwives  be  “ unlearned  ” the  false  principles  which 


240 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


they  have  acquired,  and  taught  scientific  and  proper 
treatment,  than  that  others,  who  make  no  profes- 
sion of  skill  in  the  treatment  of  diseases  or  in  the 
management  of  confinement  cases,  be  instructed. 
For  the  latter,  making  no  pretensions  to  knowledge 
or  skill,  are  harmless,  while  the  native  midwife  is 
a most  dangerous  individual,  not  only  inflicting  un- 
utterable torture  upon  the  poor  victims  who  are 
intrusted  to  her  care,  but  often  and  often  causing 
premature  death  both  to  mother  and  child  through 
her  barbarous  and  cruel  practices. 

Our  medical  missionary  is  fortunate  if  she  have 
an  associate  medical  missionary  to  share  her  labors 
and  responsibilities,  or  even  a properly  trained  and 
efficient  nurse.  Without  these  her  burdens  are 
heavy  indeed.  She  has  the  entire  charge  of  her 
missionary  home,  hospital,  dispensary,  and  training 
school  for  nurses.  The  native  servants  are  not 
taught  antiseptic  measures  and  know  nothing  about 
medical  and  surgical  cleanliness.  The  medical  mis- 
sionary, therefore,  must  carefully  guard  every  pa- 
tient under  her  charge,  else  contagion,  infection, 
septic  fever,  puerperal  fever,  cholera,  smallpox, 
or  leprosy  may  develop  in  the  wards  of  her  hos- 
pital, and  run  such  a violent  course  as  to  necessitate 
the  closing  up  of  the  institution. 

Her  ignorant  heathen  nurses  in  training,  with  no 
principles  of  honor  or  morality  to  shield  them  from 
temptation,  must  be  guarded  and  shielded  and 
watched  over  by  the  medical  missionary  with  the 
utmost  and  most  unremitting  care.  They  must,  of 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION 


241 


course,  receive  daily  instruction.  They  cannot 
read,  and  if  they  are  to  become  even  moderately 
efficient,  trustworthy  nurses,  they  must  be  taught 
daily,  minutely,  and  continuously  by  word  of 
mouth.  This  involves  almost  incessant  toil  on  the 
part  of  our  medical  missionary,  to  say  nothing  of 
the  patients  in  the  hospital,  in  the  office,  and  in  the 
dispensary,  whose  health  and  whose  lives  are  almost 
wholly  dependent  upon  her  skill,  wisdom,  and  care- 
ful management.  If  she  be  not  on  her  guard, 
acutely  watchful,  and  intensely  vigilant,  some  native 
midwife,  now  a student  nurse  in  her  school,  will 
administer  some  fatal  remedy  to  one  of  her  patients 
— perhaps  an  overdose  of  laudanum  to  a wee  infant 
— or  she  will  practice  some  barbarous  cruelty  upon 
a patient  in  labor,  or  will  poison  the  minds  of  her 
high-caste  native  patients  toward  her.  Some  sus- 
picion as  to  the  medicine,  instruments,  or  medical 
methods  of  the  institution  will  arise,  and  increase 
until  a veritable  panic  occur,  and  perhaps  all  the 
patients  withdraw  from  the  hospital  in  a single 
hour. 

The  free  missionary  dispensary  claims  a certain 
proportion  of  the  medical  missionary’s  time, 
strength,  and  thought.  Certain  hours  in  each  day 
are  given  to  this  work.  There  she  receives,  exam- 
ines, and  treats  fifty,  eighty,  or  even  one  or  two 
hundred  patients  daily,  according  to  the  age  of  her 
establishment,  size  of  the  city,  etc. 

No  precaution  is  taken  by  the  natives  of  India 
against  contagion,  and,  in  spite  of  all  efforts  on  the 


242 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


part  of  the  medical  missionary  to  avoid  the  con- 
sequences of  such  a condition,  cases  of  smallpox, 
leprosy,  and  cholera  are  often  brought  to  her  dis- 
pensary for  treatment. 

Other  missionaries  may  so  adjust  their  hours  of 
work  as  to  be  indoors  and  under  the  punkah  during 
the  intense  heat  of  the  midday  sun ; the  medical 
missionary,  however,  has  no  choice.  She  must  go 
when  she  is  called.  It  may  be  that  at  the  noon 
hour  she  will  be  summoned  to  the  sick  couch  of  a 
high-caste  or  low-caste,  rich  or  poor,  native  woman, 
who  resides  in  the  very  heart  of  the  native  city. 
She  dons  her  pith  helmet,  takes  a huge  umbrella 
lined  with  green  and  covered  with  white  muslin, 
and  drives  in  her  close  carriage  to  the  home  of  the 
sufferer.  The  native  streets  are  very  narrow,  the 
gutters  on  either  side  open,  the  rays  of  the  sun  in- 
tolerable, and  the  stench  oppressive;  one’s  life  is 
imperiled  by  such  exposure.  Perhaps  she  must 
remain  in  the  close,  dark,  small  apartment  of  her 
patient  during  all  the  long  hours  of  that  hot  summer 
day.  Perhaps  she  is  obliged  to  remain  far  into  the 
night,  toiling  on  without  food  or  rest,  struggling  to 
maintain  the  life  of  her  patient.  Meanwhile  she  is 
anxious  and  troubled  as  to  the  work  at  home.  She 
does  not  know  what  mischief  may  be  done  during 
her  absence.  Perhaps  she  returns  in  the  early 
morning.  She  must  now  bathe  and  change  her  ap- 
parel, to  avoid  any  possibility  of  contagion  to  her 
patients  and  nurses.  It  is  then  time  for  chhota 
hasiri,  and  immediately  after  this  the  numerous 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION 


243 


duties  of  her  busy  life  press  in  upon  her.  It  is  im- 
possible for  her  to  take  the  rest  so  sorely  needed, 
nor  is  it  certain  that  she  will  have  an  opportunity 
to  retire  to  rest  on  the  following'  night.  Indeed,  it 
often  happens  that  two  or  three  such  nights  succeed 
one  another. 

In  the  office,  in  the  hospital,  and  in  the  dispen- 
saries, while  the  medical  missionary  is  examining 
patients,  prescribing  for  them,  administering  treat- 
ment, or  performing  operations,  the  other  patients 
who  have  gathered  in  the  reception  room  and  who 
are  awaiting  their  turn  are  being  entertained  by 
one  of  the  native  Christian  nurses  or  Bible  women, 
as  she  reads  and  expounds  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
prays,  and  sings;  and  each  one,  as  she  passes  in- 
to the  consulting  room,  receives  a tract  or  a por- 
tion of  the  New  Testament  in  her  own  native 
tongue. 

Thus  are  medical  and  mission  work  carried  on 
together,  the  medical  serving  as  a means  whereby 
the  missionary  may  gain  access  to  the  hearts,  homes, 
sympathies,  and  confidence  of  the  natives.  The 
native  of  India  is  not  prejudiced  against  lady  phy- 
sicians, though  he  is  bitterly  prejudiced  against 
missionaries.  It  seems  never  to  have  dawned  upon 
the  native  understanding  that  a woman  may  be 
both  a physician  and  a missionary.  In  his  time  of 
need,  therefore,  when  wife,  mother,  daughter,  or 
young  son  is  ill  and  suffering,  perhaps  nigh  unto 
death,  he  sends  with  all  speed  for  the  medical 
woman  ; and  not  until  she  has  won  his  respect,  con- 


244 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


fidence,  and  perhaps  affection  does  he  realize  that 
his  physician  is  also  a missionary. 

When  the  work  of  the  medical  missionary  is  well 
established,  and  she  has  spent  some  years  in  India, 
she  will  be  almost  certain  to  establish  several  mis- 
sionary dispensaries  in  the  native  city.  These  she 
will  visit  herself  as  often  as  possible,  and  always 
manage  and  superintend,  but  for  the  most  part  they 
will  be  under  the  daily  care  and  direction  of  her 
senior  student  nurses.  The  medical  missionary 
must  be  a woman  of  superior  ability,  capable  of 
managing  a variety  of  interests  at  one  time  and  a 
large  number  of  people. 

In  addition  to  having  the  entire  charge,  manage- 
ment, and  superintendency  of  a large  missionary 
home  and  center,  a missionary  hospital  for  women 
and  children,  one,  two,  three,  or  more  missionary  dis- 
pensaries for  women  and  children  in  the  native 
city,  she  is  also  a medical  missionary  teacher,  hav- 
ing a class  of  ignorant,  untutored  native  women  in 
her  home,  to  whom  she  must  give  medical  and 
nurse  lectures  and  quizzes  every  day,  besides  an 
occasional  oral  examination.  She  is  also  a private 
practitioner  of  medicine,  having  a more  or  less  ex- 
tensive office  and  out  practice ; and,  in  addition  to 
all  this,  she  can  never  forget  that  she  is  pre- 
eminently and  above  all  things  a missionary.  In 
her  home,  in  her  hospital,  in  her  dispensaries,  in 
her  office,  among  her  student  nurses,  and  in  the 
bedchamber  of  her  out-patients  she  is  at  once  the 
friend,  the  teacher,  the  physician,  and  the  mission- 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION 


245 


ary,  pointing  pupils  and  patients  to  “ the  Lamb  of 
God,  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world.” 
Kneeling  in  prayer  on  the  ground  floor  in  the  little 
dark  apartment  of  some  poor  patient,  quoting  a pas- 
sage of  Scripture  to  some  suffering  woman,  singing 
a hymn  in  the  death  chamber,  and  thus  following 
in  the  footsteps  of  the  great  First  Medical  Mission- 
ary, who  left  his  Father’s  throne  and  came  to  earth 
“ to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost,”  going 
about  healing  all  manner  of  diseases,  teaching  and 
preaching  the  Gospel  unto  the  poor. 

In  some  cases,  where  the  mission  is  young  and 
weak,  the  school,  zenana,  and  medical  work  are 
consolidated,  forming  one  only,  instead  of  three  in- 
dependent missions.  In  other  cases,  where  the  mis- 
sion is  old  and  well  established,  there  may  be  two 
or  three  associate  zenana  missionaries,  together 
with  a large  number  of  native  and  Eurasian  assist- 
ant zenana  workers,  in  connection  with  one  zenana 
mission,  two  or  three  associate  missionary  teachers 
in  one  missionary  school,  besides  a large  staff  of 
native  and  Eurasian  assistant  missionary  teachers 
and  two  or  three  associate  medical  missionaries  in 
connection  with  one  medical  mission,  also  a large 
and  efficient  staff  of  native  and  Eurasian  hospital 
assistants  and  student  nurses. 

The  author  has  had  the  privilege  of  enjoying  the 
hospitality  of  several  missionary  homes,  such  as  are 
described  in  the  foregoing  pages.  She  was  one  of 
the  first  inmates,  a guest  and  boarder,  in  the  Zenana 
Mission  of  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society 


246 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


in  Bombay,  and  knew  something  of  the  burdens, 
struggles,  anxieties,  and  almost  innumerable  diffi- 
culties which  confronted  her  dear  friend,  Miss  S. 
De  Line,  the  zenana  missionary  of  the  Woman’s 
Foreign  Missionary  Society,  in  her  efforts  to  estab- 
lish a permanent  zenana  mission  in  that  great  city, 
and  to  do  it  in  such  a manner  as  would  prove 
the  greatest  possible  success  and  a blessing  to  India. 
She  was  intimately  familiar  with  the  everyday  home 
life  and  labors  of  the  two  beautiful  and  noble  women, 
Miss  Alice  Aitken  and  Miss  Nellie  Reddies,  of  the 
Normal  School  Instruction  Society  of  Lahore,  Pun- 
jab. She  was  a patient  in  St.  Catherine’s  Hospital 
of  the  Medical  Mission  of  the  Church  Missionary 
Society  of  Amritsar,  Punjab,  where  the  peerless 
trio,  the  Misses  Sarah  Hewlett,  E.  S.  Bartlett,  and 
A.  Sharp,  preside  with  such  grace,  womanly  dig- 
nity and  strength,  carrying  on  a most  extensive 
medical  mission,  comprising  a hospital,  several  mis- 
sionary dispensaries  in  the  native  city,  and  an 
important  medical  missionary  training  school  for 
nurses.  She  was  also  a guest  during  a long  season 
of  convalescence  in  the  Church  of  England  Zenana 
Mission  House  of  Krishnagar,  Bengal,  where  Miss 
Tharp  (now  Mrs.  Tharp  Gill)  and  Miss  Eleanor  M. 
Sampson  reigned  queens,  as  they  truly  are,  in  a 
home  which  was  in  every  respect  a perfect  Chris- 
tian home  and  missionary  center.  She  knows 
whereof  she  speaks,  therefore,  when  she  affirms 
that  there  are  no  homes  anywhere  to  be  found 
which  excel  the  missionary  home  in  the  observance 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  ZION 


247 


of  regular,  methodical,  systematic  order  in  the  care- 
ful husbanding  of  time,  in  mutual  kindness  and 
consideration  each  for  the  other — “in  honor  pre- 
ferring one  another.”  Than  missionaries  of  the 
Gospel  there  can  be  no  Christians  more  self-for- 
getting,  self-sacrificing,  devout,  earnest,  zealous, 
forbearing,  always  abounding  in  good  works,  de- 
voted to  the  cause  of  the  Master,  efficient  in  his 
service,  and  intelligently  consecrated  in  all  their 
lives — whose  “ works  do  follow  them.” 

Pray  for  the  heroes  and  heroines  of  Zion ! 


CONCLUSION 

God’s  own  ambassadors  and  yours 
Have  tried  each  pass, 

But  may  not  enter  where 
The  money  king  holds  sway. 

Not  many  mighty  ones  are  called, 

Not  many  wise  ; so  are  we  taught 
In  God’s  own  blessed  word. 

The  poor  must  have  the  Gospel 
Preached  to  them. 

The  Lord  hath  chosen  them, 

The  weak,  the  things  of  naught. 

To  bring  to  naught  the  things  that  are. 
The  lowly  ones  are  chosen  first. 

And  grow  to  stalwart  sons  and 
Daughters  of  the  living  God. 

He  sends  them  forth  to  lift  his 
Banner  high — to  sound  abroad 
The  triumphs  of  their  risen  Lord- 
Full  seven  times  to  blow  the  trump 
Of  God  and  shout  at  his  command: 
When,  lo ! the  prison  walls 


248 


WITHIN  THE  PURDAH 


Shall  fall  and  crumble  into  dust, 
As  if  by  fire  consumed. 

And  do  you  look  with 
Longing  eye  and  eager  heart 
To  see  this  glad  fruition  ? 

Then  give  with  cheerful  hand 
From  out  your  hoarded  store. 
And  watch  and  pray  the  more, 
For  God  will  surely  hear 
And  answer  prayer. 

September  29,  1897. 


THE  END. 


DATE  DUE 

DEMCO  38-297 


